Glass of wine a day increases cancer risk

Scientists in the UK are warning women that consuming just one drink a day increases the risk of developing cancer. Cancer Research UK scientists have found that consuming just one drink a day causes an extra 7,000 cancer cases in women

Researchers have said that alcohol is to blame for around 13% of breast, rectum, liver, throat and mouth cancers. It is estimated that about 11% of the 45,000 cases of breast cancer cases diagnosed each year in the UK can be attributed to the consumption of alcohol. The study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute was carried out over a seven year period and found that 70,000 women out of 1.3 million women developed cancer with a pattern emerging with alcohol consumption. The risks of cancer increased by 6% in women up to the age of 75, by consuming just one drink a day. Current UK government guidelines state that women should drink no more than 2-3 units a day whilst 3-4 units per day are recommended for men. Although this research did not study men, Dr Naomi Allen from the University of Oxford has said that their work would help the government re-assess if the limits should be changed. A Department of Health spokesman told the BBC:

"We keep our guidance on sensible drinking under review. We currently advise on a lower risk drinking limit and that drinking above this level could be harmful.

"There is no completely safe level of drinking but this lower level reflects the known risks including breast cancer, which is partly why there is a lower drinking limit for women.

"We look forward to examining this research in more detail."