You and your friends throw back a few beers every weekend. Are you harming your prostate? Every night with dinner, you and your partner have a glass or two of wine. Are you increasing your risk for prostate problems? What does the science say about alcohol and prostate health?
An Australian and US team recently looked at the results of 35 studies that evaluated the relationship between alcohol use and prostate health that had previously concluded that there was no association between alcohol use and prostate cancer incidence. (Middleton 2009)
Their review discovered that men who drank two or more standard drinks per day had about a 20 percent greater chance of developing prostate cancer. This is a consumption level that is regarded as safe, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s alcohol guidelines. Not so safe, it appears. The researchers found that the risk of prostate cancer increased as the level of alcohol intake increased, and at the same age that alcohol was thought to have a protective effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Another study was released several months after the US/Australian research and was published in the August 2009 issue of Cancer. In that study, investigators reported that heavy drinking of alcohol increases the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. (Gong 2009)
The study evaluated data from 2,129 participants in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial which included men who had cancer detected during the seven-year trial, and 8,791 men who were deemed to be free of cancer via prostate biopsy at the end of the trial. Development of high-grade disease was associated with heavy alcohol consumption (50 grams or more of alcohol daily) and with regular heavy drinking (4 or more drinks daily on 5 or more days per week). The increased risk was not seen in men who drank less heavily.
So the take-home message here is really no surprise: moderate alcohol use is okay, but stop after the second drink.
How much is one drink?
- 12 ounces of beer. An “average” beer has about 5% alcohol content, but that percentage can vary depending on the beer. Malt liquor is higher in alcohol content than the average beer, while light beers are much lower.
- One shot of 80 Proof liquor. This can be in the form of a shot or in a mixed drink. The amount of liquor in a mixed drink can vary depending on who makes the drink and the proof of the liquor. Rum, for example, can be 80 to 151 proof.
- One 4-5 oz glass of wine. Although wines vary in alcohol content, they are normally closer in range, so that one wine cooler or one 4 to 5 ounce glass of wine is the equivalent of one drink.
