Choosing mocktails over cocktails could reduce risk of seven cancers

Dry January poses the perfect opportunity to go teetotal for the month. For the 31-day challenge participants, or those looking for total abstinence, there are many ways you can get have a nice drink without having to actually consume alcohol.

For pint-drinkers, alcohol-free beers are a great substitute, while for those who like a Cosmo or a French Martini when they're out with friends, mocktails are a great alternative to getting the same taste without the hangover.

What's more, reducing your alcohol intake could prevent you from developing several types of cancer, according to Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems - and fascinating new research has backed this up.

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In the US Surgeon's General Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, the surgeon general draws the direct link between alcohol intake and at least seven types of cancer: breast, colorectal, oesophageal, liver, mouth, throat, and voice box (larynx). The kind of alcohol consumed - wine, beer, or spirits - doesn't matter.

Around five more women out of 100 would develop cancer as a result of two drinks a day, while the figure was three out of 100 men. Around four more women out of 100 would develop breast cancer after two drinks a day.

Reducing alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of cancer because alcohol damages cells and increases the risk of cancer. The more you cut down on alcohol, the more you can reduce your risk of cancer. Drinking less alcohol can also reduce your risk of accidents, high blood pressure, and liver disease.

Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, Florida, says trying mocktails instead of cocktails can curb the urge to drink, while Paola Rossi, clinical program director at Sylvester, suggests that people who want to stop drinking should look at the choice not as an act of deprivation but one of discovery.

She encourages people to be adventurous, try new drink recipes without alcohol - recipes for mocktails appear everywhere on social media - take non-alcoholic drinks to a party and share with friends, and use a nice glass.

"Being told not to do something makes people feel excluded, and it's what they end up thinking about most," Rossi added. "Turn that around and look at it positively. Make something special of your choice not to consume alcohol."

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