Skip to main content
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1977 May;35(5):674–683. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1977.103

Colorectal cancer and beer drinking.

J E Enstrom
PMCID: PMC2025486  PMID: 324508

Abstract

Evidence is presented of a significant statistical association between beer drinking and colorectal cancer, particularly rectal cancer. This finding is based on correlations between consumption and cancer mortality and between changes in consumption and changes in cancer mortality for 47 states in the United States of America. Also various secular trends, an urban-rural gradient, socioeconomic gradients and sex ratios in the United States are shown to be generally consistent with a relationship between beer consumption and colorectal cancer, particularly rectal cancer. The limitations on drawing sound aetiological inferences from such data are acknowledged. In particular, several other variables are shown to be associated with both beer drinking and colorectal cancer. Also, a discussion of previous epidemiological studies is given, and it appears there is only a limited amount of direct evidence in humans to support the statistical demographic relationships.

Full text

PDF
674

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Armstrong B., Doll R. Environmental factors and cancer incidence and mortality in different countries, with special reference to dietary practices. Int J Cancer. 1975 Apr 15;15(4):617–631. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910150411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BOYD J. T., DOLL R. Gastro-intestinal cancer and the use of liquid paraffin. Br J Cancer. 1954 Jun;8(2):231–237. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1954.23. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bjelke E. Letter: Colon cancer and blood-cholesterol. Lancet. 1974 Jun 1;1(7866):1116–1117. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90601-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Breslow N. E., Enstrom J. E. Geographic correlations between cancer mortality rates and alcohol-tobacco consumption in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1974 Sep;53(3):631–639. doi: 10.1093/jnci/53.3.631. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burbank F. Patterns in cancer mortality in the United States: 1950-1967. Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1971 May;71(33):1–594. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Enstrom J. E. Cancer mortality among Mormons. Cancer. 1975 Sep;36(3):825–841. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197509)36:3<825::aid-cncr2820360302>3.0.co;2-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Higginson J. Etiological factors in gastrointestinal cancer in man. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1966 Oct;37(4):527–545. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Howell M. A. Factor analysis of international cancer mortality data and per capita food consumption. Br J Cancer. 1974 Apr;29(4):328–336. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1974.75. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. KETCHAM A. S., WEXLER H., MANTEL N. Effects of alcohol in mouse neoplasia. Cancer Res. 1963 Jun;23:667–670. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kuratsune M., Kochi S., Horie A., Nishizumi M. Test of alcoholic beverages and ethanol solutions for carcinogenicity and tumor-promoting activity. Gan. 1971 Oct;62(5):395–405. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Modan B., Barell V., Lubin F., Modan M., Greenberg R. A., Graham S. Low-fiber intake as an etiologic factor in cancer of the colon. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1975 Jul;55(1):15–18. doi: 10.1093/jnci/55.1.15. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Phillips R. L. Role of life-style and dietary habits in risk of cancer among seventh-day adventists. Cancer Res. 1975 Nov;35(11 Pt 2):3513–3522. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wynder E. L., Kajitani T., Ishikawa S., Dodo H., Takano A. Environmental factors of cancer of the colon and rectum. II. Japanese epidemiological data. Cancer. 1969 May;23(5):1210–1220. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196905)23:5<1210::aid-cncr2820230530>3.0.co;2-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Wynder E. L., Shigematsu T. Environmental factors of cancer of the colon and rectum. Cancer. 1967 Sep;20(9):1520–1561. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196709)20:9<1520::aid-cncr2820200920>3.0.co;2-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES