Link Between Alcohol & Prostate Cancer
New research reveals drinking as little as one pint of beer a day increases the risk of prostate cancer by 23%. This research dispels the myth that only binge-drinking increases the risk of developing prostate cancer.
The current study is known as a ‘meta-study’. This is because it analyses the results of many similar studies conducted in the past. Specifically, the study analysed data from 26 other studies conducted in the past.
The study, conducted by the University of Victoria in Australia, found that males increased the risk of developing prostate cancer when consuming as little as two units of alcohol per day. This is the equivalent to consuming one pint of 5 per cent lager a day.
The study reveals the risk of developing prostate cancer is increased when a male drinks as little as half a pint of beer per week.
Prostate cancer is a major killer in the United Kingdom.
Around 47,000 people contract the disease annually, and 11,000 people die from the disease each year.
The current research is thus a stark warning for men who believe they are not damaging their bodies by practising moderate drinking.
The current study is critical of many past studies and claims their result to be ‘misleading.’ Why? Because many of these older studies but former drinkers into the same category as lifetime teetotallers.
Many of these ‘former drinkers’ were once heavy drinkers. However, many of these people stopped drinking when they started to age. The current study sought to only compare drinkers with true teetotallers.
The study’s lead researcher, Time Stockwell, said: ‘For cancer risk, the causal processes appear to be operating whenever we drink, and to a degree directly relate to how much we consume and with no safe threshold.
‘This study contributes to the strengthening evidence that alcohol is a risk factor for prostate cancer. Consumption will need to be factored into future estimates of the global burden of disease.’
However, the reasons why alcohol increases the risk of prostate cancer are not completely understood.
One theory looks at the way alcohol is broken down in the liver. Before alcohol is broken down, it is converted into a toxin known as acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde damages DNA strands and causes them to deviate from their original pattern.
Incidentally, acetaldehyde is the substance that causes you to experience a hangover.
Cancer Research UK’s Dr Jasmine Just said: ‘Alcohol causes thousands of cancers each year, so cutting down how much you drink is a good way to reduce cancer risk.’
If you are concerned with the amount of alcohol you are consuming, you may wish to seek the help of Cassiobury Court. We offer a 21-bedroom alcohol rehab clinic located in Watford, Herts.
