UPI en Español  |   UPI Asia  |   About UPI  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Heavy drinking may up lung cancer risk

|
 
Published: Oct. 26, 2011 at 12:58 AM

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Heavy drinking may be linked to a greater risk of lung cancer, but being overweight and consuming black tea and fruit may lower risk, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Stanton Siu of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., said black tea consumption was shown to reduce lung cancer risk in non-smoking women, while higher body mass index and increased fruit consumption were associated with a lower risk of lung cancer in both men and women.

"Heavy drinking has multiple harmful effects, including cardiovascular complications and increased risk for lung cancer," Siu said in a statement. "We did not see a relationship between moderate drinking and lung cancer development. So it appears probable that most middle-aged and older moderate drinkers have coronary artery protection and no increased risk of lung cancer risk."

Siu and colleagues studied 126,293 people who provided baseline data from 1978 to1985 and tracked them until 2008 to determine their risk for developing lung cancer in relation to cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, gender, ethnicity, body mass index and level of education.

Of the 1,852 people who developed lung cancer during the study period, results showed cigarette smoking remained a strong predictor of all types of lung cancer; but heavy alcohol consumption -- more than three alcoholic drinks per day -- also increased lung cancer risk, with a slightly higher risk related to heavy beer consumption as opposed to wine and liquor.

The findings were presented at CHEST, the 77th annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Honolulu.

© 2011 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
'Star Trek Into Darkness' screening NBC upfronts Met Ball 2013
'Great Gatsby' premieres in New York Spire raised on top of One WTC 2013: Celebrity break ups and divorces
Additional Health News Stories
1 of 17
Tornado recover efforts underway in Moore, Oklahoma
View Caption
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin talks to victims from the May 20 tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, May 22, 2013. The EF-5 tornado cut a path of destruction approximately 17 miles by 1.3 miles wide and left 24 people dead. UPI/J.P. Wilson
fark
You have 30 minutes to move your cube
Fark Philly Up - Spend the day in Philly taunting animals and ringing bells, or meet us at night...
Do you look like Taylor Swift? Boot to the head
Morphine: Apply directly to the wound. Morphine: Apply directly to the wound. Morphine: Apply directly...
Yeah, I tested positive for THC, but can you prove I was high?
After a UK soldier is brutally massacred in Britain, CNN asks the burning question: "Are UK soldiers...