Kidney cancer: consumption of one drink per day would have a préventif

Une effect moderate alcohol consumption, equivalent to one drink per day is associated with a preventive effect against kidney cancer, suggests a study published in the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" (JNCI).

Some previous studies have suggested an association between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of kidney cancer, but performed on a limited number of volunteers, their results remained uncertain.

To fill this gap, Jung Lee of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA) conducted a synthesis of the results of 12 previous prospective studies have evaluated the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of kidney cancer, including a total of 530,469 women and 229,575 men. Upon entering each study, volunteers were asked to complete a questionnaire about their diet and alcohol consumption.

After a period of between 7 and 20 years, a total of 1430 participants (711 women and 719 men) followed developed kidney cancer.

According to the statistical analysis of these results, the incidence (number of new cases) of kidney cancer totaled 23/100.000 person-years among the volunteers not consuming alcohol against 15 / 100,000 person-years among volunteers with consumption equal to or slightly more than one glass of alcohol per day (equivalent to an amount of 15 grams of alcohol per day). The risk of developing kidney cancer was reduced by 28% among moderate drinkers (consuming between one and less than two drinks per day) compared with abstainers.

In addition, the authors found no significant difference between different types of alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, liquor) in their preventive effect against kidney cancer. This effect could result from the effect of alcohol on the increase in insulin sensitivity or by the presence of phenol antioxidants with anticarcinogenic properties.

Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of developing kidney cancer in both men and women risk, the authors conclude. However, they point out that alcohol remains a major risk factor for other cancers such as breast, liver and esophagus. Finally, maintaining a normal weight and the elimination of smoking remains the best means of prevention of kidney cancer.