‘Alcohol causes cancer’
Yet another health concern showed itself this week. Could drinking alcohol contribute to cancer? A guarded ‘yes’ follows, but it is still better for overall health to drink alcohol in moderation (less heart attacks occur). As usual, ‘moderation’ is a complicated term, not least as the one to two drinks per day the World Cancer Research Fund International report suggests has the alcohol value of 10-15 G ethanol per drink (the UK unit is 8G). So, perhaps, we must stick to 21 units for a male, 14 for a female, per week, after all. Other recommendations of the report are to eat less red meat, avoid bacon, ham, and sugary drinks, and to keep the body weight down. Even fruit juice can be dangerous in large quantities.
The cancers concerned are those of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx, oesophagus, colorectum (men) and breast. There is also the issue of liver cancer. Alcohol does seem to contribute to these, at any dose. But, as cancer expert Karol Sikora points out ‘the main message I would have is not to worry about it, to enjoy life, if you like a glass of wine have it, and a small amount of meat is not going to harm you’ (BBC News). And we can all say ‘amen’ to that.
Yet another health concern showed itself this week. Could drinking alcohol contribute to cancer? A guarded ‘yes’ follows, but it is still better for overall health to drink alcohol in moderation (less heart attacks occur). As usual, ‘moderation’ is a complicated term, not least as the one to two drinks per day the World Cancer Research Fund International report suggests has the alcohol value of 10-15 G ethanol per drink (the UK unit is 8G). So, perhaps, we must stick to 21 units for a male, 14 for a female, per week, after all. Other recommendations of the report are to eat less red meat, avoid bacon, ham, and sugary drinks, and to keep the body weight down. Even fruit juice can be dangerous in large quantities.
The cancers concerned are those of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx, oesophagus, colorectum (men) and breast. There is also the issue of liver cancer. Alcohol does seem to contribute to these, at any dose. But, as cancer expert Karol Sikora points out ‘the main message I would have is not to worry about it, to enjoy life, if you like a glass of wine have it, and a small amount of meat is not going to harm you’ (BBC News). And we can all say ‘amen’ to that.