The risks of alcohol consumption are numerous, even if your intake is moderate. This is stated in a new report published by the World Health Organization (WHO), which focuses on the relationship between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and cancer, the second cause of death in the EU. Although it is a complex pathology, evidence shows that it can be greatly affected by behaviors such as the consumption of these drinks. A fact that should be of great interest to Europeans, since they are the citizens who consume the most alcohol in the world.
"The evidence between alcohol and cancer is not new," continues the document, which lists the seven types of cancer that alcoholic beverages can cause: breast, colon, esophagus, larynx, pharynx, mouth and liver. This relationship has been known since 1988, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer already classified alcoholic beverages as carcinogenic. And it is not always a question of quantities, since in low doses the risk of suffering from this pathology can also exist.
The relationship between the amount of alcohol ingested and an increased risk of getting sick differs depending on the type of cancer. For breast cancer, even a low dose can promote its development. "More than half of cancers caused by alcohol consumption are not due to excessive drinking," warns the WHO in this report, where it also highlights that a third of breast cancers caused by the intake of these drinks occur among women who take them moderately.
The same does not happen with oral cancer, since 58% of cases caused by alcohol intake respond to excessive consumption (more than six drinks or 60 g of alcohol per day), while 32% and 11% They are due to risky intake (between three or six drinks and up to a maximum of 60 g per day) or moderate intake (a maximum of two drinks or 20 g per day).
Numerous international organizations, including the WHO, have been warning about these risks for years, but the reality is that the majority of Europeans are unaware of the relationship between alcohol and cancer. The report points out that the dangers of tobacco are well known, but less than half of EU citizens consider alcohol as a risk factor for this pathology. Ignorance varies depending on the type of cancer, since in the case of breast cancer only 10%-20% point to these drinks as one of its causes.
The economic cost of cancers caused by alcohol consumption in Europe is also not generally known. In 2020, the majority were colon (36,900 cases), breast (24,200 cases) and mouth (12,400 cases). And the price the EU paid in 2018 for premature deaths from these diseases was €52.9 billion, of which €4.58 billion was attributed to alcohol-related expenditure.
For the numerous reasons included in the report, the WHO considers that it is essential to implement strategies as soon as possible to reduce alcohol consumption, such as raising taxes on these products or reducing their availability. Another proposal is to add cancer warnings to the labels of alcoholic beverages similar to those of tobacco.
Ireland will become the first country in the world to add a warning about the risks they may pose to health on the labels of beers, wines and spirits. The law will come into force in 2026 and there is now pressure for the entire EU to follow suit. Spain and other members, however, have strongly criticized this measure.
