Scientists have issued a stark warning that consuming even one alcoholic drink per day can increase the risk of developing mouth cancer by around 50%. The new study, published in the journal BMJ Global Health, highlights a particularly severe effect when alcohol is combined with chewing tobacco.
No Safe Limit for Alcohol
The research, which involved data from thousands of participants in South Asia, concludes that there is no safe limit of alcohol consumption for buccal mucosa cancer risk. Alarmingly, the study found that consuming as little as 2 grams of alcohol from beer daily was still linked to an increased risk.
Researchers compared information from 1,803 individuals aged 35-54 diagnosed with buccal mucosa cancer with a control group of 1,903 people without the disease. Participants detailed their drinking habits, including the duration, frequency, and types of alcohol consumed, which ranged from international brands to 30 varieties of locally brewed drinks.
The Dangerous Combination with Tobacco
The study underscores a dangerous synergy between alcohol and tobacco. The combined exposure to both alcohol and chewing tobacco was linked to a more than fourfold increase in cancer risk. Scientists suspect alcohol may alter the fat content in the mouth's lining, making it more permeable to cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco products.
This pairing could be responsible for nearly two-thirds of all mouth cancer cases in India, where oral cancer is highly prevalent. The research specifically noted the strongest link among consumers of local alcoholic beverages such as apong, bangla, chulli, and mahua.
Heightened Risk from Local Brews
Locally produced alcohol presented an even greater danger. Researchers pointed out that the unregulated local liquor market sometimes contains beverages with up to 90% alcohol content. These drinks may also be contaminated with toxic substances like methanol and acetaldehyde, compounding the risk.
Of the cancer patients studied, 781 reported drinking alcohol, compared to 481 in the control group. The findings, released on Wednesday 31 December 2025, deliver a clear public health message: frequent alcohol consumption is strongly linked to a heightened risk of this common cancer, with the most significant effect observed from locally brewed drinks.
