Dr. Sarah Wakeman

Which would surprise most people, right? Like that for many people is very normal.

Which would surprise most people, right? Like that for many people is very normal.

Yeah, so it varies by cancer, but roughly we're talking like a 40% increase in cancer depending on the cancer type. And the more you drink, the more that's going to go up. So, you know, these are scientific studies where it's not precise to you as an individual. They're based on large populations, but definitely the more you drink, the greater the risk.

Yeah, so it varies by cancer, but roughly we're talking like a 40% increase in cancer depending on the cancer type. And the more you drink, the more that's going to go up. So, you know, these are scientific studies where it's not precise to you as an individual. They're based on large populations, but definitely the more you drink, the greater the risk.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. If you smoke. So one of the main drivers of alcohol, too, and cancer is that it actually makes you more susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of tobacco. So if you drink and smoke, your risk of cancer is going to be even higher.

Exactly. If you smoke. So one of the main drivers of alcohol, too, and cancer is that it actually makes you more susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of tobacco. So if you drink and smoke, your risk of cancer is going to be even higher.

The thought is like if you take esophageal cancer at like the cellular level, it makes you more susceptible of the carcinogens, which are kind of the cancer-causing compounds in tobacco. And so rather than just seeing like an additive risk, you actually almost get a multiplied risk in terms of the risk of cancer. So smoking and then obesity is the other big one.

The thought is like if you take esophageal cancer at like the cellular level, it makes you more susceptible of the carcinogens, which are kind of the cancer-causing compounds in tobacco. And so rather than just seeing like an additive risk, you actually almost get a multiplied risk in terms of the risk of cancer. So smoking and then obesity is the other big one.

So a lot of cancers, your risk goes up if you have an increase in your body mass.

So a lot of cancers, your risk goes up if you have an increase in your body mass.

Yeah, I mean, there's lots of different mechanisms. I mean, maybe starting just with what does alcohol do in your body? So you ingest alcohol. The fancy name for that is ethanol. It's a molecule. And it basically gets absorbed pretty quickly from your stomach. And so it hits your bloodstream usually within 10 minutes or so of having a drink.

Yeah, I mean, there's lots of different mechanisms. I mean, maybe starting just with what does alcohol do in your body? So you ingest alcohol. The fancy name for that is ethanol. It's a molecule. And it basically gets absorbed pretty quickly from your stomach. And so it hits your bloodstream usually within 10 minutes or so of having a drink.

How much it hits your bloodstream depends on how much water you have in your body. So alcohol doesn't penetrate into your fat. It just kind of diffuses into the water parts of your body. So that's actually why for many women, they will get more sort of drunk or more of an effect from alcohol at a lower level than men because women have more body fat than men.

How much it hits your bloodstream depends on how much water you have in your body. So alcohol doesn't penetrate into your fat. It just kind of diffuses into the water parts of your body. So that's actually why for many women, they will get more sort of drunk or more of an effect from alcohol at a lower level than men because women have more body fat than men.

But that's going to depend on you as an individual. If you have more body fat, you're going to have a different impact. So alcohol gets in your bloodstream. Alcohol can instantly cross across what we call your blood-brain barrier. So it impacts your brain instantly.

But that's going to depend on you as an individual. If you have more body fat, you're going to have a different impact. So alcohol gets in your bloodstream. Alcohol can instantly cross across what we call your blood-brain barrier. So it impacts your brain instantly.

And that's where you feel the initially pleasurable effects for many people of feeling a little relaxed, feeling more social, feeling a little bit less anxiety. If you keep drinking and that level keeps going up, then you start having impaired judgment. You might have lack of motor coordination. So we've all seen this in Many people have probably experienced it.

And that's where you feel the initially pleasurable effects for many people of feeling a little relaxed, feeling more social, feeling a little bit less anxiety. If you keep drinking and that level keeps going up, then you start having impaired judgment. You might have lack of motor coordination. So we've all seen this in Many people have probably experienced it.