While past studies have shown that alcohol taken in moderation can be good for the health, a new public health service claims that there is no safe alcohol limit. Even small amounts of alcohol may be lead to some cancers.
A large UK-based population study claimed that comparing alcohol consumption with its health advantages showed benefits to moderate alcohol drinking. However, when former alcohol drinkers were taken out of the study, the supposed benefits were unknown.
Based on the study, alcohol being healthy for the heart can only apply to women aged 55 and over consuming small amounts of just five units a week. The new research also claims that alcohol increases the risk of cancer regardless of drinking all in one go or a little bit at a time.
The study claims that a person should consume no more than 14 units a week, which is comparable to seven glasses of wine or six pints of beer. This means that a person should only drink moderately over three or more days by keeping some days alcohol-free.
In the past decade alone, alcohol-related deaths increased to 9,000 cases in the U.K. Studies show that 4 to 30 percent of cancer death may stem from alcohol use, according to Daily Mail.
Alcohol also contributes to more than 60 medical health conditions such as cancers, liver problems, high blood pressure and depression. Alcohol can also increase calories, which can lead to increased obesity levels and the complications that go with it.
A glass of alcohol per day may increase the risk for breast cancer by four percent. Three or more glasses a day, on the other hand, may increase the risk by 40 to 50 percent.
In addition, no alcohol is better or even worse than the other. It is the alcohol itself that leads to the damage, as explained by the Cancer Research UK.
Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is converted into a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde when consumed, which can cause cancer by damaging the body's DNA. The chemical may also cause the regeneration of cells faster than normal which could eventually lead to cancer.
