In March 2018 researchers from Greece published their review of the scientific literature to assess the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of malignancies of the blood. Separate analyses were performed by subtype of malignancy (non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukemia), time status (ever, current, former), level of alcohol consumption (light, moderate, heavy), alcoholic beverage (total alcohol, beer, spirits, wine) and gender. Results showed that a moderate and heavy alcohol consumption were significantly associated with a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A protective trend was also shown for light alcohol intake. Specifically, beer consumption appeared to be associated with a reduction in a risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma but no association was seen with other alcoholic beverages. In addition, no association was seen between alcohol consumption and risk of Hodgkin lymphoma or leukaemia.
Psaltopoulou T et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of hematological malignancies: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Int J Cancer. 2018 Aug 1;143(3):486-495. [Epub 2018 Mar 30)