2 ms·

the story is that cigarettes are well researched and documented to cause agressive lung cancers, heart disease and many other problems. the story on alcohol is

the story is that cigarettes are well researched and documented to cause agressive lung cancers, heart disease and many other problems. the story on alcohol is much less clear and even if true, much lower risk

fsloth 4y ago
"the story on alcohol is much less clear and if it even true, much lower risk" What? Afaik alcohol is pretty well known to increase risks of several cancers in population. Individual response to alcohol is of course a much more complex topic with genetics affecting a large palette of physiological and neurological responses to alcohol. For populations - alcohol is a health risk. For individual - the narrative is far more nuanced (more risk for some than others etc).
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  The article mentions that it is not widely known that alcohol causes cancer. Used to be the same with cigarettes. We need to change that!
epmaybe 4y ago
This is correct. Do you know what percent of lung cancer is attributable to smoking? 90%! 9/10 lung cancer deaths are attributable to smoking. Compare this to ~5% of cancer related death attributable to alcohol use. It's just not even an accurate comparison. To be honest though? I am willing to bet that cost to healthcare system for alcohol related illness is outpacing that of smoking related illness. Cirrhosis of the liver is a very costly disease when it gets close to end stage.
- zabzonk 4y ago
  cost to healthcare is certainly high where some individuals are concerned, as any one who has been in accident & emergency on a saturday night will observe. but of course the vast majority of people that drink on saturday night do NOT end up in A&E.
- johnaspden 4y ago
  Comparing 90% to 5% would be very silly. What percentage of cancer-related deaths are attributable to tobacco use? (In the same sense of "attributable" as for the alcohol?)
  - zabzonk 4y ago
    https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/risk/tobacco https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-...

fsloth 4y ago

"the story on alcohol is much less clear and if it even true, much lower risk" What? Afaik alcohol is pretty well known to increase risks of several cancers in population. Individual response to alcohol is of course a much more complex topic with genetics affecting a large palette of physiological and neurological responses to alcohol. For populations - alcohol is a health risk. For individual - the narrative is far more nuanced (more risk for some than others etc).

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
The article mentions that it is not widely known that alcohol causes cancer. Used to be the same with cigarettes. We need to change that!

epmaybe 4y ago

This is correct. Do you know what percent of lung cancer is attributable to smoking? 90%! 9/10 lung cancer deaths are attributable to smoking. Compare this to ~5% of cancer related death attributable to alcohol use. It's just not even an accurate comparison. To be honest though? I am willing to bet that cost to healthcare system for alcohol related illness is outpacing that of smoking related illness. Cirrhosis of the liver is a very costly disease when it gets close to end stage.

zabzonk 4y ago
cost to healthcare is certainly high where some individuals are concerned, as any one who has been in accident & emergency on a saturday night will observe. but of course the vast majority of people that drink on saturday night do NOT end up in A&E.
johnaspden 4y ago
Comparing 90% to 5% would be very silly. What percentage of cancer-related deaths are attributable to tobacco use? (In the same sense of "attributable" as for the alcohol?)
- zabzonk 4y ago
  https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/risk/tobacco https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-...