Drinking Alcohol Daily May Lead to Skin Cancer, Suggests Study

The reason suggested by the researchers is that the ethanol in alcohol can metabolise into acetaldehyde, a compound that can damage DNA. Dr Cho said: "In general, ethanol metabolism plays a major role in alcohol carcinogenesis. Ethanol is metabolised by alcohol dehydrogenase to acetaldehyde, a carcinogen which can inhibit the DNA repair system. Ethanol metabolism also results in the production of reactive oxygen species, which cause DNA damage and contribute to mutations."

The study defined a standard drink as 10 ml of alcohol, about a small glass of wine, or half a pint of beer. Every glass that you drink increases the risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma by 11 percent and basal cell carcinoma by 7 percent.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK and rates are rising. Around 3.6 percent cancer cases across the world have been attributed to alcohol including those of the liver, bowel, breast and pancreas.