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7 deadly cancers you can get from drinking

Posted at 3:50 PM, Jul 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-26 15:49:54-04

DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND-  Before that next cold one, you might want to hear about seven deadly cancers you could get from alcohol.

A study out of New Zealand’s University of Otago concluded drinking alcohol- even moderately- can increase your risk for developing liver, head, neck, esophageal, colorectal and female breast cancer.

What’s worse, it’s not just one type of alcohol- it’s beer, wine AND hard liquor.

“Whether beer versus wine versus liquor, it’s the amount of alcohol- the more, the higher the risk for cancer," said Dr. Erich Sturgis, a head and neck surgeon at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

But wait.  Isn’t a glass of red wine each day good for you?

“It’s not completely accurate that red wine is protective,” Sturgis said.

In fact, Sturgis said totally avoiding alcohol is your best bet, but if not, moderation is the goal.

"There’s not really a true safe level of drinking, but one to two drinks a day is a reasonable amount," Sturgis said. "We’d like people to avoid drinking more than that, and they really shouldn’t drink more than that for various health reasons.”

The choice is yours. You can listen to the doctor or stick with Homer Simpson who toasts, "To alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems."