Recently, the United Nations (UN) released a new report on cancer around the world. The number of cancer cases worldwide is expected to rise from 14 million cases per year to 22 million cases per year within the next 20 years. The report stressed that prevention is the key to fewer cancer cases, but treatment alone will not be able to reduce the number of cancer cases.

One key way to prevent cancer is to be mindful of what you put into your body. The report recognizes that drinking too much alcohol makes getting cancer more likely. The report suggests “tobacco-style restrictions” on alcohol--this would mean that the laws for buying alcohol would look like the laws for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products.

This call to action is a major step in a world where alcohol is often a very important part of the cultural and social lives of many Americans. Because of this, the negative effects of alcohol are sometimes ignored. If you need proof that alcohol can be harmful, consider this: Even if a person hasn’t had any alcohol in a year, people that used to drink still have a higher risk of cancer compared to people who never drank any alcohol at all. Want to learn more about how alcohol might increase your chances of developing cancer? Click here and here to read more.