Study Finds No Link Between Drinking, Bladder Cancer

New research fails to confirm previous studies that found that alcohol consumption could increase the risk of bladder cancer. Rather, the latest study finds that drinking beer may actually reduce the risk, Reuters reported Sept. 20.

Past studies have been fuzzy on whether alcohol is linked to bladder cancer. For the current study, researchers at Boston University analyzed data from 10,125 participants enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, Mass.

Of the 126 individuals who developed bladder cancer during the study and follow-up period, the researchers found no significant association between cancer risk and drinking wine or spirits. However, the researchers determined that participants who drank more than four beers a week were 50-percent less likely to develop bladder cancer than non-drinkers.

The study's findings are published in the Sept. 15, 2004 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.