New research has linked the consumption of white wine with melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
New research has linked the consumption of white wine with melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
The paper, credited to researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brown University, among others, examined three studies where they identified 1,374 cases of invasive melanoma out of more than 200,000 participants.
The team analyzed accompanying questionnaire data and found that “overall alcohol intake was associated with a 14 percent higher risk of melanoma per drink per day.”
A press release about the study notes that beer, liquor, and even red wine did not appear to impact this rate, however, “each drink per day of white wine was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of melanoma.”
Alcohol has previously been linked with possible DNA damage, but researchers are not yet sure why white wine appears to have a more negative effect.
Aside from alcohol type, the team also found that those who drank at least 20 grams a day had a 73 percent greater chance of a melanoma diagnosis in the trunk area which is typically not exposed to the sun; meanwhile, participants had just a 2 percent greater chance in uncovered areas like the head, neck, and limbs compared with non-drinkers.
The reason for this disparity is also unknown.
One of the researchers, Eunyoung Cho, has suggested that individuals who may be more at risk for melanoma overall could review their alcohol use as a way to reduce their chances of developing that and other types of cancer.
