BY: JESSICA BEUKER
The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has pinpointed the exact level of drinking that is associated with liver cancer. According to The Guardian, the WCRF said this has been the biggest review so far of the evidence on the relationship between diet, weight, physical activity and the disease. It assessed 34 previous studies, which covered 8.2 million people, with more than 24,500 of them having liver cancer. The study revealed strong evidence linking the disease to the habit of consuming three alcoholic drinks per day.
So what was once a “de-stress” mechanism could now be fatal to your health. The Alcohol Health Alliance claims that alcohol is so toxic that cans and bottles of it should carry health warnings. “This report shows that there is no safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer prevention,” said Sir Ian Gilmore, the chair of the alliance, in an article for The Guardian. “It’s time for the government to take action to minimize the risk of harm.”
Liver cancer has one of the lowest survival rates among 200 different types of cancer. The WCRF has advised drinking within the lower-risk guidelines, which includes sticking to a 175 ml glass of wine or a pint and a half of four per cent beer.
According to The Guardian, Paul Pharoah, professor of cancer epidemiology at Cambridge University, has doubts regarding the WCRF’s findings. “I do not think that the published data are sufficiently robust to conclude that three drinks a day specifically is associated with an increased risk of primary liver cancer.” He added that two of the studies that were examined by the WCRF did show that four or more drinks does worsen your chances, but not guarantee, that you will get it.
While nothing is ever certain, if your drink intake has become a definite every day happy hour, perhaps take a break and drink some coffee instead. According to The Guardian, The WCRF’s analysis also found strong evidence that coffee could help protect against liver cancer.