The immediate after-effects of alcohol are usually very apparent.  Sore heads, nausea and tiredness are to be expected however what are the long term issues?  Research has shown that the risk of some cancers, strokes and heart disease can all be increased by drinking more than 3 drinks a day.

Alcohol is associated with an increased risk of a number of cancers including breast.  For each additional 10g of alcohol, just over half a unit,  this can increase the risk of developing the disease by over 10%. Drinking an additional 5 units a week increases the chances of bowel cancer by a fifth.

Part of the reason for over consumption can be blamed on people not being aware of how many units they are consuming. Speaking on behalf of Drinkaware, Paul Wallace, who is also a GP, comments ”Most of us don’t realise what we’re drinking and you can very easily slip beyond acceptable limits.”  He is of the belief that the government needs to improve alcohol guidelines and that people need to be more aware of the potential health dangers in excessive consumption.

A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) indicates that a significant link can be made between alcohol consumption and the risk of specific cancers.  The study covered 8 western European countries and showed that in men almost one in ten cancers and in women one in 33 cancers can be linked to alcohol consumption.

In particular there is an increased risk of liver, mouth, food-pipe, voice-box and pharynx cancers, aswell as bowel and breast. 

The message is clear, in order to reduce the risk we must reduce our alcohol consumption and stay within government guidelines of drinking levels. For men this is 3-4 units a day and women 2-3 units.

Britain’s binge-drinking timebomb is ticking louder thanks to this piece in the Daily Mail, claiming that - thanks largely to supermarkets - alcohol is becoming as big a concern as smoking when it comes to serious health issues such as cancer.