Even light to moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to increase cancer incidence, according to a study published in the journal Cancer on Monday.

The study analyzed 63,232 cancer patients in Japanese hospitals and compared them with the same amount of healthy controls. Researchers found people who drank one drink a night for 10 years or two drinks a night for five years were five percent more likely develop diseases like mouth cancer, breast cancer, throat cancer and prostate cancer. One drink in the study is defined as six ounces of wine, 17 ounces of beer or two ounces of whiskey.

But, the authors also indicate the limitations of the current study. Alcohol-related cancer risk by different types of alcoholic beverages cannot be fully assessed due to data set constraints. In addition, some additional variables such as a family history of cancer, diet (e.g. coffee and red meat consumption) and physical activity were not taken into account.

The study supported a statement published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2017, which suggested that even little alcohol assumption each day may elevate the risk of several common cancers. It identified alcohol as a "definite" risk factor for cancer.

 It is estimated that around 5 percent of new cancer cases and 6 percent of cancer deaths worldwide each year are directly related to alcohol consumption.

"One drink a day is probably not a big problem," Dr. Masayoshi Zaitsu of the University of Tokyo wrote in his study. "But drinking too much over long periods of time might be dangerous."