Alcohol conclusively linked to seven different types of cancer

It's hard to argue with a decade of research...

'Drinking alcohol is part of everyday adult life in Ireland. It is used to celebrate, commiserate and to socialise. Used sensibly alcohol is a pleasurable, socially acceptable drug.' This statement reads like Diageo but is actually a direct quote from the HSE website. 

Curiously the health implications of alcohol consumption are not mentioned in this endorsement from our Health Service Executive.

The results of a study published online today, by professor Jennie Connor from the University of Otago in New Zealand, show that the connection between this 'pleasurable drug' and cancer have been conclusively proven.

Alcohol is a direct cause of the disease. Connor's conclusions come after decade of studying previous reviews of cancer conducted worldwide.

Connor's review linked alcohol to cancer of the mouth and throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, bowel and breast.

Any health benefits once thought to come from alcohol consumption have also been disproven.

"The highest risks are associated with the heaviest drinking but a considerable burden is experienced by drinkers with low to moderate consumption," Connor was quoted as saying in the Guardian today. 

How alcohol causes cancer is not yet fully understood, although it is thought that as it breaks down in the body it becomes toxic and can cause damage to DNA.

Alcohol also reduces the body's ability to absorb essential vitamins and nutrients that protect against cancer.

Connor's study also found that people who smoke and drink are at even greater risk of developing cancer.