Finnish study links alcohol use to increased prostate cancer risk
28.09.2026 - A new study from the Finnish Cancer Registry suggests that alcohol consumption may be associated with an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Among men consuming at least 14 alcoholic drinks per week, the risk was about one-third higher than among men who did not drink alcohol.
The study combined data from six Finnish population studies involving more than 82,000 men, with data collected between 1972 and 2015. During the follow-up period, 2,357 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed.
Alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer across all levels of consumption examined in the study. Compared with men who did not drink alcohol, the risk was 18% higher among those consuming fewer than five drinks per week, 20% higher among those consuming 5 to 13 drinks, and 32% higher among those consuming at least 14 drinks per week.
“Among alcohol consumers, prostate cancer incidence increased on average by 0.5% for each additional alcoholic drink consumed per week. The association with cancer risk was already visible at low levels of alcohol consumption, not only among the heaviest consumers. The results suggest that the risk may increase even at relatively low levels of consumption,” said Leevi Tarkiainen, the study’s lead researcher at the Finnish Cancer Registry.
Alcohol was the only factor examined in the study that showed a statistically significant association with prostate cancer. No corresponding association was found for body mass index, height, smoking, education or physical activity.
Previous research on the relationship between alcohol consumption and prostate cancer has produced mixed results. Some studies have found an increased risk, while others have found no clear association. In the Finnish study, the association between alcohol consumption and prostate cancer risk was stronger than that reported in previous international studies.
One possible explanation may be drinking patterns. According to Tarkiainen, alcohol consumption in Finland is characterised, in a European context, by relatively large amounts consumed on individual drinking occasions. Earlier research has suggested that this type of drinking pattern may be associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer, although further research is needed to clarify the relationship.
The researchers emphasise that modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer have not yet been firmly established and that evidence concerning alcohol has previously been inconclusive. The new findings therefore add important evidence to an area where the relationship remains under investigation.
The study, “Alcohol consumption increased the risk of prostate cancer: A Finnish pooled population-based cohort study”, was published in the European Journal of Cancer.
Original article: European Journal of Cancer
