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Impact of Drinking on Cancer Recovery

Last updated on November 29, 2019

I noticed some questions in the Facebook Cancer groups concerning the impact of drinking alcohol on cancer recovery.  Back when I had cancer in 1991 my doctor mentioned it was ok for me to drink and actually thought one or two would be good for me to keep my weight up and to get more protein.  Being a 25 year old and in graduate school I took this comment at face value and continued to drink on occasion.  Now looking back I am not sure this is the correct advice.  Also, my sister who recently went through breast cancer drinks and I was wondering if this advice is still good. 

I decided to do some research and found some interesting sites and YouTube videos discussing the impact of alcohol on your recovery.  In short alcohol is considered a carcinogen and it does have an impact.  As little as one drink can have an impact and of course the more you drink the bigger the impact.  The chance of recurrence after being in remission goes up in some of the studies.  Please take a look at the YouTube video below and also visit the link below to learn more. 

My suggestion is to cut back to no more than one drink or give up drinking both during and after a cancer diagnosis.  For a lot of people this can be a big hurdle.  However, your life is at risk.  We each have to weigh the risk vs the reward.  I do not drink much now, maybe a drink on occasion out with friends.  However, if I get sick again I will most likely stop all together.  I hope you enjoy this post.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this big question.  Please leave a comment. 

Great article on Breast Cancer and Alcohol.  https://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-and-alcohol-what-much-is-safe/

     

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