Global Health Asia-Pacific Issue 3 | 2023 Issue 3 | 2023 | Page 18

Drinking raises the risk of several cancer types

The WHO says that the risks of drinking alcohol , a toxic and dependence-producing substance , have been documented over the years , leading the Agency for Research on Cancer to classify alcohol as a carcinogen . Indeed , drinking it can contribute to the development of seven cancer types , including bowel and female breast malignancies .

Though the more alcohol people drink the greater the risk of developing cancer , half of all cancers attributed to alcohol in the WHO Europe Region are caused by �light� and �moderate� alcohol consumption , which amounts to less than 1.5 litres of wine or less than 3.5 litres of beer or less than 450 millilitres of spirits per week . This way of drinking is linked to the majority of female breast cancers where alcohol plays a contributing role .

�We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use . It doesn ’ t matter how much you drink � the risk to the drinker ’ s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage . The only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink , the more harmful it is � or , in other words , the less you drink , the safer it is , � explained Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges , acting Unit Lead for Noncommunicable Disease Management and Regional Advisor for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in the WHO Regional O�ce for Europe , in a press release . The WHO acknowledges that there ’ s been a heated debate over the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption , with some studies suggesting that moderate drinking might reduce the risk of heart disease , but it stresses that the supposed benefits should be weighed against the risks .

On a global level , the WHO European Region has the highest proportion of drinkers in the population and over 200 million people at risk of developing a form of cancer linked to alcohol consumption . Such risk is higher for disadvantaged and vulnerable people as they face more harm from drinking than high-income individuals .

�So , when we talk about possible so-called safer levels of alcohol consumption or about its protective effects , we are ignoring the bigger picture of alcohol harm in our Region and the world . Although it is well established that alcohol can cause cancer , this fact is still not widely known to the public in most countries . We need cancer-related health information messages on labels of alcoholic beverages , following the example of tobacco products� we need empowered and trained health professionals who would feel comfortable to inform their patients about alcohol and cancer risk� and we need overall wide awareness of this topic in countries and communities , � added Dr Ferreira-Borges .

We need cancerrelated health information messages on labels of alcoholic beverages , following the example of tobacco products .

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