One Drink A Day Increases Risk Of Bowel Cancer

Drinking just one pint of beer or a large glass of wine every day increases your risk of developing bowel cancer by 10 per cent, experts have said. Those who drink three to four units a day increased their risk of developing bowel cancer by up to a quarter, research has found.

The study conducted by Cancer Research UK and involving nearly 500,000 people, adds to evidence that drinking alcohol is linked to certain cancers. Other studies have linked binge drinking to breast cancer. Almost 480,000 people in ten European countries were asked questions about how much alcohol they drank and were followed up for six years. In that period 1,833 people developed bowel cancer.

The lifetime risk for bowel cancer in men is one in 20; in women it is one in 18. Every year 35,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and it kills 16,100 annually.

Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK epidemiologist and deputy director of the cancer epidemiology unit in Oxford, said: “The research shows quite clearly that the more alcohol you drink the greater your risk of bowel cancer. The increase in risk is not large but it is important that people understand they can reduce their risk of a number of different cancers – including bowel cancer – by cutting down on alcohol.”

The study is published in the International Journal of Cancer. Current guidelines recommend women drink no more than two units daily and men no more than three.

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK’s director of cancer information, said: “There is a lot of confusion over safe levels of drinking. This partly arises over the increasing strength of some wines and beers and the fact that many pubs offer a large glass of wine that is actually equivalent to one third of a bottle.

“It is important that people do not automatically equate one drink with one unit. A large glass of wine with a high alcohol volume is likely to be the equivalent of considerably more than that. While there is increasing evidence that over indulging in alcohol can increase the risk of some cancers research also shows that by far the biggest risk for life threatening diseases is the combination of smoking together with drinking alcohol.”

One unit = half a pint of 3.5 per cent beer, lager or cider, one small glass (125ml) of wine at nine per cent alcohol. Average strength of beers is five per cent and average strength of wine is 12.5 per cent meaning one unit will be a smaller measure.

Other researchers have said drinking small amounts of alcohol such as red wine can protect against heart disease.