Research has shown that smoking and drinking alcohol can affect cancer risk.
Alcohol
Research has shown that alcohol may raise your risk for cancers of the liver, esophagus, mouth, throat, and bladder. For women, the risk of breast cancer may increase when they regularly have two alcoholic drinks a day.
Heavy drinkers who also smoke are at greater risk for cancers of the mouth, throat, larynxThe structure at the top of the wind pipe that contains the vocal cords, which produce the voice. Also called the voice box., and esophagus than people who do not smoke. To help prevent cancer, drink alcohol in moderation. In other words, have no more than 3 or 4 drinks per week.
Smoking
Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. If no one used tobacco, 420,000 fewer people would die each year. Cigarettes and other tobacco products (such as snuff or chewing tobacco) contain chemicals that are addictive and very harmful to your body. Tobacco may increase your risk for cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and bladder or make cancer treatment more difficult. Among women, lung cancer causes more deaths than breast cancer. Treating cancer in women who smoke is more difficult than in women who do not smoke.
Cigarettes and other tobacco products (such as snuff or chewing tobacco) contain chemicals that are addictive and very harmful to your body. Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. It can also cause heart and lung disease. Breathing second hand smoke (smoke from a burning cigarette) can lead to breathing problems, allergies, or asthmaA disease of the lungs. Airways can get irritated, swollen, and narrow, which makes it difficult to breathe..
Smokeless tobacco (such as snuff or chewing tobacco) is also harmful to health. Chewing tobacco increases the risk of mouth and throat cancers.
Smoking during pregnancy is harmful to the unborn baby. It is a risk factor for low birth weightWhen the weight at birth is less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces., premature birthThe birth of a baby after the period of viability, but before full term; birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy., and other health problems. Children of smokers are more likely to smoke (and tend to start earlier) than children of non-smokers.