When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health, says a new WHO statement.
New Delhi UPDATED: January 9, 2023 1:47 PM IST
Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer. (Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
By Sneha Mordani: The World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest assessment warned that there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health. The global health body said in a statement in The Lancet Public Health that the risk of developing cancer increases significantly the more alcohol is consumed, and that 200 million people are at risk of developing cancer due to alcohol in Europe.
It notes that the latest data analysis reveals that half of all alcohol-related cancers in the WHO European Region are caused by ‘light’ and ‘moderate’ alcohol consumption – less than 1.5 liters of wine or less than 3.5 liters of beer or less than 450 milliliters of alcohol per week.
“Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including the most common types of cancer, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer. Ethanol (alcohol) causes cancer through biological mechanisms, as the compound breaks down in the body, meaning that any drink containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, carries a risk of developing cancer,” the WHO said.
The health authority claims that to determine a “safe” level of alcohol consumption, valid scientific evidence must demonstrate that at and below a certain level there is no risk of disease or injury associated with alcohol consumption. The statement further clarified that currently available evidence cannot indicate the existence of a threshold at which the carcinogenic effects of alcohol “switch on” and begin to manifest in the human body.
“We cannot talk about the so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn’t matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker’s health starts with the first drop of any alcoholic drink. The only thing 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,” Dr. Karina Ferreira-Borges, Acting head of non-communicable diseases Disease Management and regional adviser on alcohol and illicit drugs at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, said in a statement.
WHO notes that globally, the European region has the highest level of alcohol consumption and the highest proportion of drinkers in the population with over 200 million people at risk of developing alcohol-related cancer.
Edited by:
Daphne Clarence
Posted on:
January 9, 2023
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