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Hey all,

I'd like to start a thread about the reported increased risk of esophageal and other digestive tract cancers in asian flushers. There are a fair number of studies out there that all suggest an increased risk but it's sometimes tricky to understand what the take-away should be in terms of day-to-day drinking habits. For instance, one study found that flushing heavy drinkers (33 standard drinks or more per week) have an esophageal cancer risk factor that is 89 times that of a non-flushing, non-drinker. Sounds scary, right? But when measured against the worldwide esophageal cancer rates of approximately 4 per 100,000, an 89-times risk would still only yield an incidence-rate of about 3.5 out of 100, which is, arguably, not that bad.

Anyway, just an example of how some of these studies can be hard to put in context. Anyone else looked at the research that's out there? What impacts has it had on your drinking?