Regular drinking of alcohol in early adulthood may prime the cells of the colon and rectum to become cancerous in future.
Can alcohol use in early adulthood be a predictor of colorectal cancer (CRC) development later in life? This study set out to provide answer to the above question using lifestyle and health data obtained from 191,543 US men and women who took part in the 1988-2014 Nurses' Health Study 1, 1989-2015 Nurses' Health Study 11, and 1988-2014 Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.
Data analysis showed that a large proportion of patients with colorectal cancer reported consuming alcohol in early adulthood. "The findings from these large prospective cohort studies suggest that higher alcohol intake in early adulthood may be associated with a higher risk of developing CRC later in life," the authors noted.