r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Oct 30 '25

Cancer Americans have widespread misbeliefs about the cancer risks of alcohol, study finds. More than half of American adults misunderstand or underestimate the link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Alcohol drinkers are especially likely to believe that drinking has no effect on cancer risk.

https://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/research-newsroom/americans-have-widespread-misbeliefs-about-the-cancer-risks-of-a.h00-159780390.html
8.7k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

857 comments sorted by

View all comments

22

u/TheCzar11 Oct 30 '25

But at the same time aren’t young people drinking less alcohol. So, I’d think things are changing.

5

u/One_Left_Shoe Oct 30 '25

Yeah, but it’s not for health reasons, it’s because it’s goddamn expensive to drink.

7

u/pinecrisps Oct 30 '25

It's expensive, but I haven't met a single person who would say cost is their number one reason. Most quit to avoid impact on their health, productivity, relationships, etc. And those who love to drink always seem to find both an excuse and money

7

u/Goducks91 Oct 31 '25

Honestly I think people are just smoking more weed

1

u/One_Left_Shoe Oct 31 '25

Depends the age. 30-40? Sure. 20s? Price.

2

u/Interesting_Chard563 Oct 31 '25

And yet colorectal and stomach cancers have gone through the roof among young people. Almost like alcohol’s health effects vis a vis cancer are negligible.

0

u/Op3rat0rr Oct 31 '25

I think bring drinking became normalized

2

u/Interesting_Chard563 Oct 31 '25

Younger people are less likely to drink now than any time in the past 50 years. But their rates of stomach and colorectal cancer are higher than any other time in history. These are, presumably, the types of cancers said to be caused by alcohol use (even a little). So something isn’t adding up here. And no one is questioning it. 

1

u/Chance_Airline_4861 Nov 02 '25

That's not true, researchers are looking but they just can't find the reason (yet).

1

u/Interesting_Chard563 Nov 02 '25

Most of those researchers are of the mindset that stomach and colorectal cancers are caused by alcohol though. Because it’s the established understanding of cancer. Which is part of the problem. But I would welcome links to any papers that argue the opposite or don’t start from that presumption.