Alcohol link to bowel cancer risk

reposted from BBC

Bowel cancer affects thousands every year

A daily pint of beer or a large glass of wine raises the risk of bowel cancer by about 10%, research suggests.

The Cancer Research UK study found that the more you drink, the more the risk of the disease increases.

Those who drank more than 30 grams of alcohol - less than a couple of pints of strong lager - raised their risk by about 25%.

The study, based on data from almost 480,000 people, features in the International Journal of Cancer.

The lifetime risk for bowel cancer is one in 20 for men, and one in 18 for women.

ALCOHOL STRENGTH The government recommends men drink no more than three to four units of alcohol per day and women drink no more than two to three One UK unit is eight grams of pure alcohol The number of units depends on what you are drinking, how strong it is and how much there is Half a pint of 3.5% beer, lager or cider is one unit; one small glass (125ml) of wine at 8% is one unit Average strength of beers is 5% and average strength of wine is 12.5%

More than 30,000 new cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK alone.

Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK epidemiologist and deputy director of the cancer epidemiology unit in Oxford, said: "The research shows quite clearly that the more alcohol you drink the greater your risk of bowel cancer.

"The increase in risk is not large but it is important that people understand they can reduce their risk of a number of different cancers - including bowel cancer - by cutting down on alcohol."

Confusion over drinking

The results come from the EPIC study, funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and other European agencies.

The researchers asked almost 480,000 people about how much alcohol they drank and followed them up for six years. In that period 1,833 people developed colon cancer.

Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information, said: "There is a lot of confusion over safe levels of drinking.

"This partly arises over the increasing strength of some wines and beers and the fact that many pubs offer a large glass of wine that is actually equivalent to one third of a bottle.

"It is important that people do not automatically equate one drink with one unit. A large glass of wine with a high alcohol volume is likely to be the equivalent of considerably more than that."

Cancer Research UK recommends that women should drink less than two units a day and men less than three.

Dr Walker said: "While there is increasing evidence that over indulging in alcohol can increase the risk of some cancers research also shows that by far the biggest risk for life threatening diseases is the combination of smoking together with drinking alcohol."

Frank Soodeen, of Alcohol Concern, said: "In the UK we tend to focus largely on the social consequences of alcohol.

"This report draws yet further attention to the fact that regular drinking also impacts on a person's health, and often in ways that have nothing to do with the popular stereotype of liver complications.

"To minimise risk, it's advisable to stay within the recommended limits, and to avoid drinking every day."

Blueberries tackle bowel cancer

Other studies suggest blueberries may fight cancer and diabetes A compound in blueberries may be good for preventing bowel cancer, US scientists believe. The key ingredient, pterostilbene, is a natural antioxidant and mops up highly reactive molecules called free radicals that can trigger cancer growth. Similar antioxidants have already been identified in grapes and red wine, the American Chemical Society heard. Other work, also in mice, suggests pterostilbene may be good for lowering blood cholesterol too. Berry good The researchers, from Rutgers University and the US Department of Agriculture, suggest the compound could be put into a pill. Lead author Dr Bandaru Reddy said that, in the meantime, their work showed the need to include more berries in the diet, "especially blueberries." Rats given a cancer-causing agent but then fed pterostilbene had far fewer pre-cancers in their bowels than other rats. The blueberry compound also reduced inflammation and the rate of cell division in the bowel, which are both considered to be cancer risk factors. The best advice is to eat a healthy, balanced diet rather than rely on specific 'superfoods' Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK Although experts do not know the exact causes of colon cancer, the disease has been linked to a high intake of saturated fats and calories. Dr Reddy and colleagues believe pterostilbene may be able to reverse this process, possibly by lowering fat levels like cholesterol. Experts already recommend eating plenty of fruit and vegetables - at least five portions a day - to guard against cancer and other diseases. Pterostilbene is also found in cranberries, sparkleberries, lingonberries and grapes. Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK said: "While pterostilbene could lower the risk of bowel cancers in rats, it is unclear if it will produce the same benefits in humans. "More research will help to determine whether this chemical could have a role in the fight against cancer." "For the moment, the best advice is to eat a healthy, balanced diet rather than rely on specific 'superfoods,'" he added. reposted from: bbc my: highlights / emphasis / key points / comments