We've all been pretty versed in the consequences of alcohol and imbibing too much in it. However, a Texas doctor says we don't know ALL the things alcohol can do to us and our health.

In fact, he says this little tidbit is something that was mentioned to him only in passing during medical school, but you'd think it would be something they'd want to focus on a bit more.

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Dr. Christopher R. Oxner is an oncologist at Texas Oncology, and even he says they don't ask enough questions related to alcohol use when speaking to patients. A patient's alcohol use is something that can have doctors looking for other things that could be wrong with them.

And now, according to U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, we have found that alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer.

That's not something they put on the labels of alcohol containers, and also not something anyone tells you. In fact, only 45% of adults that were surveyed said they knew that was something alcohol did.

So is it one of those things where just a few drinks can heighten your risk of developing cancer? No, not necessarily.

Oxner called alcohol a "poison acid". He mentioned it gets broken down in your body to a substance called acetaldehyde. That substance can apparently damage your DNA, and that raises the chances of developing cancer.

Alcohol also creates what is called "oxidative stress", which is a condition that presents itself when has unstable molecules without the antioxidants to neutralize them. That stress increases inflammation, and that inflammation can do one of two things.

One, it can damage a cancer-protecting gene in your body, or two, it can create a cancer-causing gene.

There are several different types of cancer that have shown a relation to being caused by alcohol, including larynx, liver, throat, and breast cancer among others.

So how much alcohol would you need to consume to greatly increase your risk of cancer? Oxner says women who drink one or more alcoholic beverages per day are at a greater risk, while two drinks or more in men can greatly increase your risk.

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