Does amount or type of alcohol influence the risk of prostate cancer?

Abstract

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men, and it is unknown whether alcohol is associated with the development of prostate cancer. METHODS The relationship between amount or type of alcohol and prostate cancer was studied in a pooled prospective setting conducted from 1976 to 1994 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The study population consisted of 12,989 subjects drawn from three different cohorts. During a mean follow‐up of 12.3 yr, 233 subjects developed prostate cancer. RESULTS None of the estimates for consumed amount of total alcohol diverged significantly from unity. Furthermore, drinkers of more than 13 beers, 13 glasses of wine, and 13 drinks of spirits had a risk of 1.03 (CI: 0.67, 1.60), 0.92 (CI: 0.42, 1.99), and 1.01 (CI: 0.52, 1.98), respectively, compared with abstainers of the given beverage of alcohol. CONCLUSION These results suggest that neither amount nor type of alcohol is associated with the risk of prostate cancer. Prostate 52: 297–304, 2002.