All the News That’s Fit: Alcohol’s cancer risks, brainiac dreams and cooking with kudzu

For The San Diego Union-Tribune

Don’t drink to that

After age and tobacco use, the third-biggest driver of cancers among people age 30 or older is alcohol, with roughly 5 percent of cancer cases in men and women attributable to drinking.

A recent data published by the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research looked at alcohol use associated with seven types of cancers, including colorectal, liver and female breast cancer, the last of which had the strongest association: 16 percent of cases (or 44,000 persons) in 2019 were linked to drinking.

The harm was found to be irrespective of the type of beverage. The more alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of cancer, which means even moderate levels of consumption carry some risk. Conversely, any reduction in drinking reduces the chances of developing associated cancers.

COVID and pregnancy

New data shows pregnant people are at higher risk of developing more severe cases of COVID, which in turn increases the risk of serious pregnancy complications, such as preterm birth and stillbirth.

The research also showed that nearly 10 percent of people who came down with COVID during pregnancy ended up developing long COVID. The most common symptoms of pregnant people who developed long COVID were fatigue, gastrointestinal issues and feeling exhausted by routine activities. Persons with anxiety, depression and obesity also faced a higher risk of developing long C...