A warning that should put a lot of people in thought comes from European health authorities. Almost 1 in 20 cases of cancer in the UK are caused by alcohol, draws attention to a labist deputy, citing the results of a recent study.
There is no safe alcohol consumption, has set OMS Photo: Pixabay
“After 40 years of evidence that connects cancer alcohol, the public remains largely uninformed about dangers ”, He writes the labist deputy Cat Smith, in an article posted on the site parliamentnews.co.uk and reported by the psychologist Mihai Copăceanu on his Facebook account.
About 17,000 cases of cancer per year are caused by alcohol in the United Kingdom, ie 1 in 20, the data quoted by CAT Smith shows, and the first type of cancer is the breast cancer, most commonly in the UK.
“Up to 1 in 10 cases of breast cancer are attributed to alcohol consumption, according to Cancer Research ”notes Smith, signaling that while many of us are aware of the connection between tobacco and cancer, we have much more clear connection between alcohol and cancer.
Debate on the relationship between alcohol and cancer in Parliament
“Although alcohol has been classified as a carcinogen in group 1 since 1988 – the same category as tobacco and asbestos – this week it was for the first time that parliamentarians debated the relationship between alcohol and cancer, almost 40 years away. Why now? Public health experts warn that we are experiencing a crisis related to alcohol damage ”states the warning author.
The figures have grown dramatically from the pandemic. “A 42% increase in alcohol deaths in just 5 years would be considered a sanitary emergency for any other condition ”, emphasizes Smith. It points out that alcohol remains a toxic substance for our body, with risks even at low levels of consumption, the World Health Organization now signaling that there is no safe alcohol consumption level.
List of cancers frequently associated with alcohol
Particularly difficult cancer – esophagus cancer – along with six other types of cancer are on the list of those mentioned by the British deputy. These are breast cancer, colon cancer, neck cancer, liver cancer and stomach cancer. To these, the author notes, the pancreas cancer is added, according to a new study published by the International Agency for Cancer Research this year.
“Currently, there are about 46 new cancer diagnoses associated with alcohol every day in the United Kingdom. Experts warn that if the levels of consumption do not return to those before the pandemic, until 2035 there may be 18,875 cancer cases. These are not just statistics – they are lives by people, destroyed and lost while the alcohol industry prioritize the profits of shareholders and directors to the detriment of public health ”signals Cat Smith.
Even more worrying is that only 7% of adults in the UK know that alcohol increases the risk of cancer, data from a recent study commanded by World Cancer Research Fund, and one in four adults believes that alcohol is no health risk.
“It is a lack of amazing awareness ”, The deputy shows, especially given that alcohol is associated with over 200 conditions and injuries and is the main cause of death, disease and disability for people between the ages of 15 and 49 in the UK.
Cat Smith raises the problem of the lack of effective alcohol control policies, in the context in which the alcohol industry is not even obliged to include health warnings on product labels, despite increased damages.
The solution that reduced by 13.4% of alcohol -caused deaths in Scotland
Scotland seems to have found the solution that gave results, shows the author of the article, mentioning that the introduction of the minimum price per unit (minimum unit – Mup) has contributed to reducing the deaths directly caused by alcohol by 13.4%. “It was therefore misunderstood to hear rumors that Mup was considered, but then eliminated from the governmental plane for 10 years ”, He expresses his dissatisfaction.
Moreover, the United Kingdom is due to other countries regarding the restriction of alcohol promotion, not even a broadcast limit after 9:00 pm for alcohol ads, despite the fact that it is intended only for adults.
“Advertising is a powerful engine – companies spend millions to encourage people to drink more often and in larger quantities, which leads to more damage, including cancer. Alcohol consumption must be an informed choice. Although we must recognize and support people prone to alcoholism, most consumers do not have enough health risks to make truly informed decisions. ” The politician insists, welcoming that in the debate in the Business Committee of Deputies the Minister of Health, Ashley Dalton, reaffirmed his commitment that the Government will introduce the label that clearly highlights this connection.
“I would also like the Government to go further and adopt a national alcohol strategy to respond to the increasing number of deaths and cancer cases. After 40 years of evidence that connects cancer alcohol, the public remains largely uninformed. Without better awareness and firmer policies, the cancer cases associated with alcohol will continue to grow ”, Concluded Smith.
How much alcohol is consumed in the world, where the Romanians are located
Alcohol consumption is one of the main causes of death and invalidity worldwide, especially among active persons, is mentioned in the latest analysis published on the website of the National Institute of Public Health (Insp). The highest proportion of deaths attributable to alcohol consumption – 13 % – in 2019 was among people between the ages of 20 and 39.
“Alcohol consumption in large quantities is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, liver cirrhosis and certain types of cancer, but even moderate alcohol consumption or small amount consumption increases long -term risk. Alcohol also contributes to several road accidents, injuries, violence, homicide, suicide and mental health disorders than any other psychoactive substance, especially among young people. Diseases and diseases related to alcohol consumption have a high cost for society. An average of 2.4% of the expenses allocated to health is necessary to cope with the damage caused by this consumption, and the figure reaches up to 4% in some countries. In November 2023, the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) emphasized, in a common statement that there could be no safe amount of alcohol consumption in terms of cancer ”, is shown in the analysis.
Measured by the sales data, in OCDE countries in 2021, the total alcohol consumption was on average 8.6 liters per person, decreasing from 8.9 liters in 2011. Latvia and Lithuania reported the highest consumption in 2021 (over 12 liters per person), followed by the Czech Republic, Estonia and Austria – all with over 11 liters of alcohol.
At the opposite pole Turkey, Costa Rica, Israel and Colombia had relatively low consumption levels (below 5 liters per person). Among the candidate and partner countries, the consumption was relatively high in Bulgaria and Romania (11 liters and more per person) and low in Indonesia, India and China (under 5 liters).
“The average consumption decreased in 23 OCDE countries between 2011 and 2021, with the highest discount in Lithuania and Ireland (over 2 liters). However, alcohol consumption has increased by more than 2 liters per person in Latvia and about 1 liter of person in Mexico and Norway, as well as in the members of Bulgaria and Romania ”is mentioned in the insp.
While national data on global consumption per capita facilitate the evaluation of long -term trends, they do not identify harmful drinking models, such as excessively episodic consumption (also called a drinking chef). Almost one in five adults (19%) reported excessive episodic consumption of alcohol at least once a month, in 29 OECD countries in 2019. This proportion ranges from less than 3% in Turkey and Italy to over 30% in Germany, Luxembourg, UK, Denmark, as well as Romania. In all countries, men were more prone than women to report excessive episodic consumption. On average, in OCDE countries, 27% of men reported excessive episodic consumption at least once a month, compared to 12% of women.
