Skip to main content

Cancer Prevention - Recommendation 6

Recommendation 6: 
Limit alcoholic drinks 

If alcoholic drinks are consumed, limit consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.

One 'drink' contains about 10–15 grams of ethanol, or a can of beer. 
  
The evidence on cancer justifies a recommendation not to drink alcoholic drinks. Other evidence shows that modest amounts of alcoholic drinks are likely to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

The evidence does not show a clear level of consumption of alcoholic drinks below which there is no increase in risk of the cancers it causes. This means that, based solely on the evidence on cancer, even small amounts of alcoholic drinks should be avoided. 

In framing the recommendation here, the Committee has also taken into account the evidence that modest amounts of alcoholic drinks are likely to protect against coronary heart disease .  The evidence hows that all alcoholic drinks have the same effect. Data do not suggest any significant difference depending on the type of drink. This recommendation therefore covers all alcoholic drinks, whether beers, wines, spirits (liquors), or other alcoholic drinks. The important factor is the amount of ethanol consumed. 
The Expert Committee emphasises 
that children and and pregnant women should not consume alcoholic drinks. 
  
Additional Info about the above:

The main alcoholic drinks consumed, in ascending order of alcohol (ethanol) content, are beers and ciders; wines; wines 'fortified' with spirits; and spirits (liquors) and liqueurs. The alcohol content of the many different drinks within each of these categories varies.  Alcoholic drinks induce changes in mood; they also produce physical effects such as loss of coordination. In most countries they are the legal 'intoxicant' of choice, used as a social and professional lubricant; however, certain cultures forbid the drinking of alcohol.   Alcohol relaxes people's social inhibitions, but it is addictive; dependency on alcohol can seriously affect people's personal and professional lives.  

It has been known for a long time that prolonged high consumption of alcohol is a cause of cirrhosis of the liver, though not all people are equally susceptible. Knowledge of its other ill-effects is more recent.  Overall, 
the Panel judges that alcoholic drinks are a cause of cancers of a number of sites and that, in general, the evidence is stronger than it was in the mid-1990s. The evidence does not show any 'safe limit' of intake. The effect is from ethanol, irrespective of the type of drink.  

Ethanol is classified by the International Agency for Cancer Research as a human carcinogen.

The Panel judges as follows: 
The evidence that alcoholic drinks are a cause of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, and larynx, oesophagus, colorectum (men), and breast is convincing. They are probably a cause of liver cancer, and of colorectal cancer in women.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Diabetes Center - About Us

Diabetes Malaysia Cawangan Negeri Pulau Pinang (formerly known as Persatuan Diabetis Malaysia PDM ) Established in 1996 under the leadership of Dr Pang Chu Yen , Preventive Care Expert & Consultant, it is now run by a group of volunteers, with a balanced mixture of Healthcare professionals and lay/public who are interested in diabetes care.   Motto:  "Empowering Diabetics and Carers toward Great QoL (Quality of Life)". Registered Address: C/O Penang Adventist Hospital 26-D, Scott Road 10350, Pulau Pinang Within Penang Adventist Hospital Tel :       +604 222 7735 Mobile : +6016 459 3031;   WhatsApp: +0124957570   Email:    diabetespenang@gmail.com or  diabetes@pah.com.my Facebook: Diabetes Malaysia, Penang Branch Current Office Bearers (2025 - 2027) Chairperson : Dr Dicky NG Teik Kee Vice Chair : Mr Sugumaran Honorary Secretary : Mr Wong Loy Ming Hon Asst Secretary : Ms Ho Mee Fung Hon Treasurer : ...

Carcinogen Classification. Stuff to avoid

  August 22, 2025   We are afraid of dying slowly, ie Dementia, and Cancers.  If there is a way to prevent these, would you be interested?  Many would go for getting to the root causes, and manage exposure to these.  I want to write about cancer causing agents 1st. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has evaluated >1000 agents and classified them into classes according to likelihood (strength of evidence) as below:       Here is a short YouTube video explaining this table  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP60nNXqNOo   This time, FOR HEALTH, I bring up about WHAT TO AVOID. to stay in good health (the negatives).  Next week, I should talk about what to GET INTO OUR BODY, or DO to stay in good health (the positives). GROUP 1 means "confirmed" cancer causing agents. Here is the link to the list  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IARC_group_1  as of 2024. Here are some we are familiar with: Viruses - HIV, HPV, He...

ANTIBIOTIC

  November 21, 2025   Antibiotic was a great discovery about 100 years ago. It saved many lives over the past century, likely someone closed to you have been protected by it, or even you, and me.     However, situation becomes more complex when it is overused.  Here is why: Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) happens when germs—like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites—stop responding to the medicines used to kill them. When this happens, antibiotics and other treatments no longer work well. This makes infections harder or sometimes impossible to treat, which can lead to more people getting sick, more severe illness, and more deaths. World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a worldwide event held every year from 18 to 24 November . Its goal is to help people understand what AMR is and why it is a serious problem, and to encourage countries and communities to take action. It is one of the official health campaigns of the World Health Organization (WHO). The th...