A glass of wine a day increases risk of cancer

Drinking just half a glass of wine a day can increase the risk of cancer, research has found.

 

And scientists add that no amount of wine is ever good for you.

The study, from the National Cancer Institute in Paris, found one unit of alcohol – the equivalent of half a standard 175ml of ordinary strength wine per day – increases the risk of colon cancer by 9% and the risk of mouth or throat cancer by 168%.

The Institute’s president Dominique Maraninchi said: ‘Small daily doses of alcohol are the most harmful. There is no amount, however small, which is good for you.’

The findings confirm earlier results that alcohol increases the risk of some cancers.

Drinking alcohol and smoking is known to increase the risk even further.

The most comprehensive review of literature on the subject, carried out by the World Cancer Research Fund concluded that alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, voice box, throat, colon cancer, liver and breast cancer.

The report said there is a dose response, with the more alcohol drunk the greater the risk, and there is no level which has found not to increase the risk of some cancers.

Scientists had thought that drinking small amounts of alcohol was good for heart health, but this is now disputed.

Favorite
Get the most out of your membership by subscribing to Dentistry CPD
  • Access 600+ hours of verified CPD courses
  • Includes all GDC recommended topics
  • Powerful CPD tracking tools included
Register for webinar
Share
Add to calendar