Stronger alcohol policies may be key to reducing cancer risk, study finds

Associate Professor Taisia Huckle from the SHORE & Whariki Research Centre has co-authored a major paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the world’s most influential medical journal (impact factor 96.2).

The article provides a comprehensive global review of alcohol control policies and their effectiveness in lowering alcohol consumption; a key risk factor for several cancers.

Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with even moderate consumption increasing the risk of developing various types of cancer. The study highlights the critical role that well-designed alcohol control policies can play in cancer prevention.

Dr Huckle says population-level alcohol policies can have significant public health benefits in cancer prevention.

“Specifically, policies that increase alcohol taxes and prices, reduce availability and ban alcohol marketing led to lower consumption, which in turn reduces the risk of getting some cancers. These strategies work by making alcohol less accessible, less affordable and less promoted within communities.”

In Aotearoa New Zealand, some alcohol controls are in place but Dr Huckle says they fall short of what the evidence shows works most effectively.

The research was facilitated by the IARC, a specialised agency of the World Health Organization. Dr Huckle contributed as an invited expert and chaired one of the international working groups involved in the project.

The study’s findings offer a timely and evidence-based case for countries to strengthen alcohol policies as part of broader cancer prevention strategies.