Light alcohol drinking and cancer: a meta-analysis.

Light drinking of alcohol may amplify an individual's risk of having oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, and breast cancer.

​This study looked at the cancer-promoting effects of alcohol by means of a meta-analysis. Researchers compiled data and evidence from 222 scientific published articles involving over 90,000 light drinkers and 50,000 non-drinkers. 

Researchers observed that light drinkers exhibited a high propensity to develop cancers in the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, and breast. According to this study, light drinking contributed significantly to an estimated 5,000 deaths from breast cancer, 24,000 from esophageal cancer, and 5,000 from oropharyngeal cancer globally in 2014. This study supports the notion that light, moderate, and heavy drinking of alcohol may be detrimental to our health.