More than 30g of alcohol per day, the risk of bowel cancer increases 25%

According to the research results of British experts, the more alcohol you drink, the greater your risk of bowel cancer. On average, the risk of cancer increases by 25% if more than 30 grams of pure alcohol is taken every day.

With funding from the British Cancer Research Institute, the Medical Research Council and other agencies in Europe, this large-scale study was conducted for 480,000 people in 10 European countries over 6 years. These people provided the research team with the necessary information, including the amount of alcohol they drank daily. During the study period, there were 1,833 people who had bowel cancer. 1 pint of alcohol = a 10% increase in risk.

The risk of bowel cancer can increase by 25% if you drink 1 liter of alcohol a day.(Photo: BBC)

According to research results, drinking 1 pint (0.58 liters) of beer or 1 glass of big wine will increase the risk of bowel cancer by an average of 10%. For those who drank more than 30 grams of pure alcohol (ie, nearly 2 pint of high beer), the risk increased by an average of 25%.

At the same time, the lifetime risk for this cancer accounts for 1/20 for men and 1/18 for women.

Professor Tim Key, an epidemiologist at the British Cancer Research Institute, said: 'This study clearly shows that bowel cancer increases in proportion to the amount of beer or alcohol a person drinks each day'. 'The increase is not very large, but the important thing that people need to understand is that reducing alcohol consumption will help lower the risk of many cancers, including bowel cancer'.

In the UK, an additional 35,000 cases of bowel cancer are discovered every year and about 16,100 die from it.

Should pay attention to alcohol concentration

Dr. Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information for the British Cancer Research Institute, warned: 'There is a lot of confusion about the safety of drinking alcohol. This is partly due to the increasing alcohol content of some alcoholic and beer products, in part because bars serve customers with large glasses, sometimes equivalent to the volume of 1/3 of the wine '. .

He stressed: 'It is worrisome that many people think that 1 glass of alcohol is equivalent to 1 unit of alcohol (ie 8 grams of pure alcoholic alcohol), while in fact, a large glass of wine has alcohol content. High will affect health more than 1 alcohol unit '.

In the UK, 1/2 pint of beer or cider has a 3.5% alcohol content equivalent to 1 alcoholic unit; For wine, 1 unit of alcohol is equal to a small glass (125 ml) with an alcohol content of 8%. The average alcohol content of beer is 5% and of alcohol is 12.5%.

Men should drink less than 3 units of alcohol per day

Men should only drink less than 3 alcohol units per day (Photo: 24dash)

The British Cancer Research Institute recommends that women drink less than 2 units of alcohol a day and men should be less than 3 units.

Dr Walker said: 'There is growing evidence that excessive drinking can increase the risk of many cancers. At the same time, many studies show that the biggest life threat is just drinking alcohol and smoking '.

Commenting on this study, Frank Soodeen, of Alcohol Concern, said: 'In the UK, we tend to pay attention to the effects of alcohol on society rather than health. Therefore, this study has contributed to attracting the harmful effects of regular drinking on the health of every human being. '

Mr. Soodeen advises: 'To minimize risks, it is best to drink alcohol in moderation, within the recommended limits, and especially avoid drinking alcohol every day'.

Quang Thinh