Study says white wine increases risk of skin cancer

By Josh King, Veuer

A new study from researchers at Brown University says drinking alcohol is associated with higher rates of melanoma.

The study also revealed that above all other alcohol, white wine had the greatest impact as far as melanoma risk.

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The authors of the study say 3.6 percent of cancer cases worldwide are believed to be caused by alcohol.

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Researchers looked at data from three large studies involving over 200,000 participants and found each glass of white wine per day increased the risk of melanoma by 13 percent.

The researchers also found melanoma on different parts of the body may have different risk factors.

Eunyoung Cho, ScD, an associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University says, "I might guess that this type of cancer is less related to sun exposure and more related to a biological mechanism of alcohol damaging DNA or preventing DNA repair."

The study only included white people, so the results cannot be generalized for other races.

While the American Cancer Society recommends limiting alcohol consumption, moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, so the risks and benefits should be considered individually.