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SKKU-Harvard Research Group Identifies a Link to Incident Colorectal Cancer 2025.02.03
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Even Light to Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Risky: SKKU-Harvard Research Group Identifies a Link to Incident Colorectal Cancer

- light to moderate alcohol consumption* can increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC)

▲ Prof. Jinhee Hur


A research team led by Prof. Jinhee Hur from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at Sungkyunkwan University (President Yoo Ji-Beom) has revealed, through a collaborative study with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, that even light to moderate alcohol consumption* can increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). The study highlighted that light drinkers who previously drank 0.1-14.9 g/day of alcohol did not experience a significant reduction of CRC risk compared with those who kept drinking until they had quit drinking for at least 14 years.

   (*Defined as less than 15 g/day for women and less than 30 g/day for men)


This large-scale epidemiologic study followed 137,710 participants of the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study in the US for up to 38 years. The researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of alcohol consumption with CRC risk while addressing the gap in the literature concerning drinking patterns, beverage type, and temporal aspects of alcohol intake with CRC risk.


Prior studies investigating these questions have been limited by the availability of appropriate methods capturing long-term alcohol consumption and addressing induction period or time lag between alcohol and CRC risk. As a result, the impact of light to moderate drinking on health, particularly its link to incident CRC, has been a long-standing controversy. The study provided novel insights into this topic through comprehensive analyses of consumption, drinking patterns, beverage type, latency periods, and abstinence or reduction of alcohol and CRC risk.

▲Reference Image


Prof. Jinhee Hur, a corresponding author of the article, stated, “While excessive alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for CRC, this study adds a unique value of public health importance by offering scientifically rigorous epidemiologic evidence pointing to even light to moderate drinking may not be safe.” She added, “Amidst confirming long-term adverse health consequences of alcohol consumption on CRC development, our work also showed that an extended period of quitting or reducing drinking is required to experience a significant reduction in CRC risk. This underscores maintaining long-term abstinence or reduced alcohol intake is necessary for effective CRC prevention and overall health promotion.”


This research was supported by the US National Institutes of Health and the National Research Foundation of Korea. It was published online ahead of print in December 2024 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.


- Title: Drinking pattern and time lag of alcohol consumption with colorectal cancer risk in US men and women

- Journal: Journal of the National Cancer Institute (IF: 10.0, top 8.5% in oncology)

- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djae330

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