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half a million people in 10 European countries were
quizzed on their drinking habits as part of the EPIC*
study which is funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical
Research Council and other European agencies.
The report, published online in the International
Journal of Cancer, found that people who drink 15 grams
of alcohol a day - equivalent to about two units - have
about a 10 per cent increased risk of bowel cancer.
Those who drank more than 30 grams of alcohol - equivalent
to three to four units which is less than a couple of
pints of strong lager - increased their bowel cancer
risk by around 25 per cent.
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."
Almost 480,000 people were asked questions about how
much alcohol they drank and were followed up for six
years. In that period 1833 people developed colon cancer.
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.
"Cancer Research UK recommends that women should
drink less than two units a day and men less than three.
"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."
Notes to Editors:
• The European Prospective Investigation into
Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) is an ongoing study into
the dietary habits of more than half a million people
in Europe.
One UK unit is 8 grams of pure alcohol. The number
of units depends on what you are drinking, how strong
it is and how much there is.
Half a pint of 3.5% beer, lager or cider is one unit;
one small glass (125ml) of wine at 9% is one unit. Average
strength of beers is 5% and average strength of wine
is 12.5%.
The lifetime risk for bowel cancer in men is one in
20; in women it is one in 18. Around 30,000 news cases
of bowel cancer are diagnosed each year.
The same website advises the following quantities to
drink on a daily basis.
What we should drink
The maximum amount of alcohol you should be drinking
is:
• 2 units per day for women
• 3 units per day for men.
Many alcoholic drinks contain more than one unit:
• A premium pint of lager, beer or cider (5%
vol) contains 3 units.
• A standard 175ml glass of wine (11-12% vol)
contains 2 units.
• A double 35ml shot of spirits (40% vol) contains
3 units.
For details, http://info.cancerresearchuk.org
It is the objective of Indian Wine Academy to increase
wine awareness and educate through delWine and keep
its readers informed about the going ons in the industry-with
a particular reference to India and the Indian market.
As one may conclude, the risk of bowel cancer is not
more than 5% and drinking 2 glasses of wine may increase
it marginally to 6 or 7%-an insignificant increase.
At the risk of being branded sensationalists by a section
of our readers, we have decided to print this article.
Views from the readers who may be able to throw some
more light will be more than welcome-editor
Article reproduced from www.cancerresearchuk.org
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