Alcohol increases risk of cancer

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Alcohol drink, promotes above all of the recommended limits, the risk of several types of cancer, a new European study in the British medical journal published this week.

The study followed hundreds of thousands of people in eight European countries (Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Denmark, and the United Kingdom), and came to the conclusion that almost one in ten (9.6%) Cancer in men and in 33 (3%) Cancer in women with alcohol consumption can be combined.

The authors conducted under the direction of Madlen Sagittarius, an epidemiologist at the German Institute of human nutrition in Potsdam deer bridge, said that a significant part of the cancer occurred in men and women who drank more than the recommended upper limits of the two standard drinks per day for men and one a day for women.

A standard drink has 12 g of alcohol and is about a 125 ml glass of wine or a pint of beer.

The researchers said their findings support the current political efforts to promoting people to their intake of alcohol to reduce, or even drinking stop it altogether, to reduce the occurrence of cancer.

"Our data show that many cases can be avoided, limiting alcohol consumption have on two alcoholic drinks per day for men and one alcoholic drink per day for women, the recommendations of many health care organizations" to contactors of the press.

"And even more cancer would be prevented if people drink their alcohol consumption to below recommended guidelines reduces or not more alcohol at all," added to it.

Be the alcohol in the body, which it in acetaldehyde transformed divided must connect harms, the DNA, which increases the risk of getting cancerous cells.

For their prospective cohort study contactors and colleagues used risk estimates the European prospective investigation into cancer (EPIC) study and representative alcohol consumption data by the World Health Organization (WHO) compiled.

EPIC data contains over 363,988 men and women who had followed since the 1990's for cancer. They were aged between 37 and 70 years, if they are registered and completed a detailed questionnaire about their diet and lifestyle. Also specific to heard questions about the quantity, frequency and type of all alcoholic beverages, used it both to the time of recruitment and in the past.

The results showed that by 2008, about 21,500 cases of cancer gives current and former alcohol consumption among women in eight countries and more than 80% of cases (33,000) were as a result of more than two alcoholic beverages beer, wine or spirits per day. Colorectum were caused the cancers in women of the upper digestive tract, liver, (intestinal) and chest.

For men, the results showed that by 2008, current and former alcohol consumption causes about 57.600 cases of cancer of the upper digestive tract, Colorectum and liver in Denmark, Greece, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, and that more than half of this (33,000) cancers have been drinking as a result of more than two alcoholic beverages per day.

Contributing writer Naomi Allen, an epidemiologist Cancer Research UK said to based at the University of Oxford in the UK, that this study adds existing evidence that alcohol causes cancer and even drink moderate quantities that may increase risk.

"The results of this study are the effects of drinking people about ten years ago." "People drinking more now than then, and this could develop cancer as a result of alcohol in the future to more people," said Allen.

Sara Hiom, Director of health information on Cancer Research UK, one of the sponsors which EPIC study, said:

"Many people not only know that alcohol drink their may increase cancer risk."

The study is expected to asks Governments more determined action to reduce alcohol consumption to strengthen.

Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chairman of UK alcohol Health Alliance and former President of the Royal College of physicians told the BBC, that this study to the pile of prove, adds the waiting time for the people change their drinking habits shows with the beverage industry voluntary cooperation in policy making, is not the things change.

"If we want really avoidable deaths coming down over the next decade or so, I think there must be some form of stricter regulation by Government," he urged.

"Alcohol attributable burden of cancer incidence in eight European countries on the basis of prospective cohort study results."
Madlen contactors, Heiner Boeing, Tobias Pishon, Juergen Rehm, Tara Kehoe, Gerrit J.f.Gmel, Anja Olsen, Anne M Tjønneland, Christina C. Dahm, Kim OVERVAD, Françoise Clavel-Chapelon, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, Antonia Trichopoulou, Vasiliki Benetou, Dimosthenis Zylis, Rudolf Kaaks, Sabine Rohrmann, Domenico Palli, Franco Berrino, Rosario TuminoPaolo Vineis, Laudina Rodríguez, Antonio Agudo, Maria José Sánchez, Miren Dorronsoro, Maria Dolores Chirlaque, Aurelio Barricarte, Petra H Peeters, Carla H van GILS, Kay-tee Khaw, Nick Wareham, Naomi E Allen, Timothy J key, Paolo Boffetta, Nadia Slimani, Mazda Jenab, Dora Romaguera, Petra A WarkElio Riboli, and Manuela M Bergmann.
BMJ 2011; 342: d1584
Published 7 April 2011 online
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d1584

Additional sources: BMJ, Cancer Research UK, BBC News.

Posted by: Catharine paddock, PhD
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