Drinking too much booze increases risk of 3 cancers – as 740,000 new cases last year linked to alcohol
DRINKING any amount of booze increases the risk of developing three cancers later on in life.
More than 740,000 new cancers have been linked to alcohol consumption in a new study - as doctors call for smoking-style label warnings.
To battle the dangers, experts want labels on bottles and cans that detail the health risks of consuming the drinks.
There is a raised risk of breast, oesophageal, mouth and throat cancer even with just a low level of drinking, new research published in The Lancet found.
And having an average of two drinks a day is thought to have led to more than 103,000 cases in 2020.
It is thought now that four per cent of newly diagnosed cancers last year are linked to alcohol, with men making up more than three quarters of those.
Globally the proportion of new cancer cases associated with alcohol are highest Central and Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia.
Scientists think Brits don't truly know the extra risks that come with drinking alcohol - with one in 20 cases of the disease linked to booze in the study.
Dr Sadie Boniface, Head of Research at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, King’s College London, said: “There is low public awareness of this risk, particularly for breast cancer.
“The lower risk drinking guidelines and the health risks of alcohol have not been well communicated.
BOOZE FEARS
"The forthcoming consultation on alcohol labelling will be a real opportunity to introduce independent health information on alcohol products, so consumers can make fully informed decisions about their drinking.
"In the UK, we need such policies as part a comprehensive alcohol strategy in the wake of the pandemic to address alcohol’s burden on the NHS.”
Globally, an estimated 741,300 of all new cases of cancer in 2020 were associated with alcohol consumption.
Cancers of the oesophagus (189,700 cases), liver (154,700 cases), and breast (98,300 cases) made up the largest number of new cases, followed by colorectal cancers and cancers of the mouth and throat.
Ms Harriet Rumgay, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said: "We urgently need to raise awareness about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk among policy makers and the general public.
"Public health strategies, such as reduced alcohol availability, labelling alcohol products with a health warning, and marketing bans could reduce rates of alcohol-driven cancer.
"Tax and pricing policies that have led to decreased alcohol intake in Europe, including increased excise taxes and minimum unit pricing, could also be implemented in other world regions."
It comes as another study linking alcohol and cancer in Canada, commissioned by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer, found nearly 7,000 linked cases in 2020.
Breast cancer made up almost one in four of the new diagnoses attributed to booze.
Alcohol has been shown to damage DNA due to increased chemical production in the body.
It can then affect hormone production which can than lead to cancer development.
There is low public awareness of this risk, particularly for breast cancer.
Dr Sadie Boniface
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: “Sadly, it does not come as a surprise that this study has found that so many cancer cases are linked to alcohol consumption.
"Alcohol is a drug and even drinking a small quantity can increase your risk of developing cancer.
"It’s safest not to drink alcohol but if you do, you should stick to the Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk guidelines which is to drink no more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
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“Alcohol is causing great harm across this country every day - this past year saw a 20 per cent increase in deaths linked to alcohol in England and Wales.
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"If the UK Government wants to demonstrate its commitment to turning this tragic trend around, it must urgently improve the public’s understanding of the risks of alcohol through better labelling requirements for alcoholic drinks including cancer warnings.
"This is a vital public health policy alongside tackling the availability and promotion of cheap alcohol.”