Alcohol

30% of people with mouth cancer drink excessively. Excessive drinking means more than 21 units of alcohol per week. That’s about 7 large glasses of wine or 11 cans of medium-strength lager.

Alcohol works in the following ways:

It dries out the skin of the mouth and makes it more porous

It is broken down by bacteria in the mouth to make cancer-causing chemicals

It is broken down within the body to produce chemicals which are poisonous to cells and damage their DNA

Many people who drink large amounts of alcohol neglect to eat properly. Poor diet is also a risk factor for mouth cancer

Alcohol and Tobacco Together

Drinking alcohol and smoking at the same time increases the risk of mouth cancer about 30 times. This is because:

Alcohol affects the skin of the mouth allowing tobacco toxins to pass through more easily

Tobacco smoke contains formaldehyde, a poisonous chemical similar to acetaldehyde produced by the breakdown of alcohol.

These two chemicals together can overwhelm the body’s defence mechanisms.

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Address: Mouth Cancer Foundation
Larchfield Loft, 2 Larchfield Close Weybridge, Surrey KT13 9DD

Patient Carer Advice Line: 01924 950950

Head Office: 020 8940 5680

Email: info@mouthcancerfoundation.org

About our Foundation

The Mouth Cancer Foundation website aims to assist patients, carers and health professionals find information on head and neck cancers easily. It provides direct links to the relevant sections of existing cancer...