Even Little Alcohol Intake Increases Cancer Risk: WHO

There is no safe amount for alcohol consumption and even a little alcohol intake can increase the risk of cancer; this is the opinion of the World Health Organisation (WHO). In a statement in The Lancet Public Health, the WHO said that the risk of developing cancer increases remarkably with the amount of alcohol consumed.

As per the WHO around 200 million people in Europe are at risk of developing cancer because of alcohol consumption. It was pointed out that half of all alcohol-attributable cancers in the European Region are caused by “light” and “moderate” alcohol consumption.

Light and moderate alcohol consumption is usually considered as less than 1.5 litres of wine or less than 3.5 litres of beer or less than 450 millilitres of spirits per week.

Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer. The most common of them is bowel cancer and female breast cancer. Alcoholic beverages regardless of their price and quality can lead to cancer.

The WHO statement clarifies that till now no scientific study has determined the threshold at which the carcinogenic effects of alcohol begin to occur in the human body.

According to the WHO, European Region has the highest alcohol consumption level in the world. So, over 200 million people in this region are at risk of developing alcohol-related cancer.