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Alcohol consumption is the 3rd leading preventable cause of cancer.

Risk communication scientists have been talking about this for a long time, but it’s v interesting to see this as the top headline at NYT. It’s about time. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/health/alcohol-surgeon-general-warning.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mU4.pNJV.R5903V-Md-27&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=off #science #health

#science #Health
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

wendinoakland :KINGPENG_PNG:
wendinoakland :KINGPENG_PNG:
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Addiction treatment and universal mental health coverage would be requisite for any significant reduction.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Nathan Parker :donor:
Nathan Parker :donor:
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citing the change in absolute risk is really useful here, since it puts in on a scale people came make use of when they're weighing their choices. And even better is listing the dose response:

"...the absolute risk of breast cancer over a woman’s life span is about 11.3 percent (11 out of 100) for those who have less than a drink a week.

The risk increases to 13.1 percent (13 of 100 individuals) at one drink a day, and up to 15.3 percent (15 of 100) at two drinks per day.

For men, the absolute risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer increases from about 10 percent (10 of every 100 individuals) for those who consume less than one drink a week to 11.4 percent (11 per 100) for those who have a drink every day on average. It rises to 13 percent (13 of 100 individuals) for those who have two drinks a day on average."

in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Simon Carswell
Simon Carswell
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There are some good comments below that article. In my view, good points are made about how the cancer risk from alcohol needs to be put in the context of cancer risk from other things, and how it's reasonable for people to make a risk vs reward calculation when it comes to deciding how much to drink.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

RenderB
RenderB
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It's also the one that isn't just socially acceptable, but actively pushed. We've stopped pretending that smoking is "cool", but drinking alcohol is something you "have to do as a real adult" in most cultures and media.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

peachfront
peachfront
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actually... we've known all this for decades

it's not news & it's distraction from the reality that the leading cause of the low life expectancy in the US is the paywall around health care

they also drink, drug, & smoke in Europe, where lifespans are much longer than the US

but why allow an American any small pleasure in their short, miserable life if an oligarch enjoys watching us die in misery?

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