Even small amounts of alcohol increase cancer risk: British guidelines

Government health chiefs in Britain Friday revised official advice on alcohol consumption with a warning that any amount of alcohol increases the risk of cancer.

New drink-level guidelines for men and pregnant women produced by the Department of Health (DoH) replace advice that has been in force for 21 years.

Chief Medical Officers warn that drinking any level of alcohol increases the risk of a range of cancers, a view supported by the Committee on Carcinogenicity (CoC) on alcohol and cancer risk .

A spokesman for the DoH said: "It is now known that the risks start from any level of regular drinking and increase with the amount being drunk, and the new guidelines are aimed at keeping the risk of mortality from cancers or other diseases low. The links between alcohol and cancer were not fully understood in the original guidelines, which came out in 1995."

The new guidelines also change the long held view that a modest amount of alcohol helps maintain a healthy heart.

The review found that the benefits of alcohol for heart health only apply for women aged 55 and over. The greatest benefit is seen when those women limit their intake to around 5 units a week, the equivalent of around 2 standard glasses of wine.

New guidelines say men should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol each week, the same level as for women. This equals six pints of average strength beer a week, which would mean a low risk of illnesses such as liver disease or cancer. The previous guidelines were 21 units for men and 14 units for women per week.

The new guidelines also warn people not to "save up" their weekly units for things such as heavy weekend drinking sessions spread over one or two days.

"People who have one or two heavy drinking sessions each week increase the risk of death from long term illnesses, accidents and injuries. A good way to reduce alcohol intake is to have several alcohol free days a week," the department said in its advisory.

Guidelines for pregnant women have been updated to clarify that no level of alcohol is safe to drink in pregnancy.

Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, said Friday: "Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk for anyone, but if men and women limit their intake to no more than 14 units a week it keeps the risk of illness like cancer and liver disease low.

"What we are aiming to do with these guidelines is give the public the latest and most up to date scientific information so that they can make informed decisions about their own drinking and the level of risk they are prepared to take."

The development of the new guidelines was chaired by Mark Petticrew, Professor of Public Health Evaluation at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and by Sally Macintyre, Professor Emeritus at the University of Glasgow.

Professor Petticrew said: "This new guidance has been based on a wide range of new evidence from this country and overseas. We have reviewed all the evidence thoroughly and our guidance is firmly based on the science, but we also considered what is likely to be acceptable as a low risk level of drinking and the need to have a clear message."

The CoC review found that drinking even a small amount of alcohol increases the risk of some cancers compared with people who do not drink at all. The risk of getting some alcohol related cancers gradually reduces over time when people stop drinking, but can take many years before the risk falls to the levels found in people who have never drunk alcohol. Enditem