Time to celebrate? Be warned! One tipple a day increases the risk of cancer

Dec 29 2008

In the run up to the New Year's Eve festivities a scientist in Britain has chosen an opportune moment to warn revellers that drinking alcohol, even in relatively small amounts, can increase a tipplers risk of developing cancer.

Dr. Rachel Thompson, from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) says that a large glass of wine, a pint of beer or two measures of gin or vodka on a daily basis can increase a person's bowel and liver cancer risk by as much as 20%.

Dr. Thompson a science programme manager for WCRF says even though there is strong evidence which supports this claim, most people still do not know that alcohol increases the risk of cancer - but the warning does conflict with a fair amount of research in recent years which suggest drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is beneficial in preventing heart disease.

Just this week in the UK recently released figures from the National Health Service (NHS) showed that middle class, middle-aged people are the most likely to consume alcohol on five or more nights a week and earlier in the year, the National Audit Office said 10 million Britons were now drinking to "hazardous'' levels.

Dr. Thompson says just two units of alcohol could significantly increase the chances of cancer and increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18% and the risk of liver cancer by 20%.

Scientists suspect that alcohol possibly damages a person's DNA, making them susceptible to the risk of cancer and Dr. Thompson says an examination of the numbers of these types of cancer diagnosed in the UK every year clearly shows that drinking even relatively small amounts of alcohol can make a significant difference.

Each year in the UK more than 3,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer and a similar number die - bowel cancer which is the third most common cancer in the UK affects more than 36,500 people each year and 16,000 people die from it.

The WCRF says there is also evidence that drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer and cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus.

The WCRF advises against drinking alcohol altogether and says if this is not acceptable alcohol should be limited to two drinks a day for a man or one for a woman.

Government recommendations advise men to avoid regularly drinking more than three to four units of alcohol per day and women no more than two to three units.

One drink contains around 10 to 15g of pure alcohol which equates to half a pint of normal strength beer, lager or cider, one 25ml single measure of vodka, gin or whisky or one 125ml small glass of wine.

The Department of Health says the risks of cancer arising from alcohol consumption have been recognised and in some cases, these begin to rise at or below the Government's guideline levels for regular consumption.