Drinking dramatically raises cancer risk
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I enjoy my evening cocktails, although not so much lately. The fact is drinking can get expensive so I decided not to continue with my practice of downing a few before dinner. While life is certainly missing something I am sure I can fill the hole by reading, writing, or another equally stimulating activity such as exercise or eating. The former would be a positive replacement whereas the latter not so much.
The fact is I always knew that being sedentary, obese, or a smoker would eventually kill you. I didn’t know that drinking carried almost as many health risks. On the contrary, after I quit smoking 6 years ago I celebrated regularly with several ice cold beers.
At my last physical the doctor, one of the best I have ever had, strongly hinted at the probability of developing some insidious malady after a lifetime of evening cocktails and that started me thinking. This latest study started me thinking even more:
Drinking more than a pint of beer a day can substantially increase the risk of some cancers, research suggests.
The Europe-wide study of 363,988 people reported in the British Medical Journal found one in 10 of all cancers in men and one in 33 in women were caused by past or current alcohol intake.
More than 18% of alcohol-related cancers in men and about 4% in women were linked to excessive drinking.
The Department of Health said it was taking action to reduce drinking.
Cancer charities say people should limit their drinking to lower the risk.
The study calculated that in 2008 current and past drinking habits were responsible for about 13,000 cancer cases in the UK, out of a total of 304,000 cases.
Previous research has shown a link between alcohol consumption and cancers of the oesophagus, liver, bowel and female breast.
When alcohol is broken down by the body it produces a chemical which can damage DNA, increasing the chance of developing cancer.
found that individuals who drank more than two standard drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women were particularly at risk of alcohol-related cancers.
A standard drink contains about 12g of alcohol, which is equivalent to a 125ml glass of wine or a half pint of beer.
Yet NHS guidelines are a little more relaxed, saying that men should drink no more than three to four units a day while women should not go above two to three units a day.
Of the cancers known to be linked to alcohol, the researchers suggest that 40% to 98% occurred in people who drank more than the recommended maximum.
The results were gathered as part of a study following 363,988 men and women in eight European countries aged between 35 and 70.
Madlen Schutze, lead researcher and study author, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, said that many cancer cases could be avoided if alcohol consumption was limited.
“And even more cancer cases would be prevented if people reduced their alcohol intake to below recommended guidelines or stopped drinking alcohol at all,” she said.
Cancer Research UK director of health information Sara Hiom said that many people did not know that drinking alcohol could increase their cancer risk.
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My heart’s gonna give out long before I get Cancer.
Somebody once said, non-drinkers and non-smokers don’t live longer, it just seems like it. Nonetheless, this is depressing news.
I have such little compulsion to consume alcohol, that on rare occasion I have found myself lamenting my apparent inability to unwind with a drink or two, having full intention to settle in with a glass of wine, only to “not get around to it.” Maybe that ain’t so bad after all.
What people must realize is that beer is more than just a breakfast drink.
If I give up all the stuff that could kill me, I’d end up dying of nothing.
The sad thing is that those of us who really like to drink or can’t stop drinking don’t pay much attention to this kind of thing. All we’re interested in is the next drink – to hell with tomorrow. I don’t partake at all anymore but I hate to think of the damage I did to my body over the years.