Alcohol 'a direct cause of seven types of cancer'

Conclusion This narrative review aimed to summarise data from published biological and epidemiological research to discuss the strength of evidence that alcohol causes cancer. The author gives their main finding as a link between alcohol consumption and cancer at seven sites, and also that the highest risks seem to be associated with heavier drinking. However, they state there's no "safe" drinking threshold and that low to moderate consumption still contributes to a significant number of cancer cases. The biggest limitation of this review is that it doesn't appear to be systematic. The author provided no methods for how they identified and appraised the research they drew on. Despite referencing a number of large studies and reviews, this study and its conclusions have to be considered largely the opinion of the author following their appraisal of the evidence. We don't know whether the review has considered all research relevant to the topic and is able to reliably quantify the risks of cancer – overall or at specific sites – associated with alcohol consumption. An additional limitation to keep in mind is that this data mainly appeared to be from observational studies. These cannot prove cause and effect. The individual studies will likely have varied considerably in the additional health and lifestyle factors they took account of when looking at the links with alcohol. For example, smoking, diet and physical activity are all factors likely to be associated b...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news