4/8/2011
10:30pm
Research suggests that drinking more than a pint of beer a day can significantly increase the risk of some cancers. A European study of 363,988 people found one in 10 of all cancers in men and one in 33 in women were caused by past or current alcohol consumption. Also that more than 18% of alcohol related cancers in men and 4% in women were connected to excessive drinking. 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. Earlier research showed a link between alcohol consumption and cancers of the esophagus, 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. Research 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. Researchers suggest that 40 to 98% of cancers linked to alcohol were found in people who drank more than the recommended amount. They also suggest that many cancers could be avoided if alcohol consumption was limited.
The European study has opened many issues that may result as people consume alcohol. With the finding that over consumption of alcohol can cause various cancers of the body it seems as though there would be stricter rules concerning alcohol. When people over consume alcohol on occasion they never really think about the ongoing effects to the body. It is very much comparable to people and their tobacco intake; you can tell people that it’s bad for their health but its up to them to limit the use. Even if more government regulation is put into place it still will be hard to control the amount that people drink when they are not in front of authority.
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