Heavy drinkers have another reason to drown their sorrows.
They face almost double the usual risk of developing certain cancers, according to research.
The bad news is for those who frequently down large amounts of spirits or beer.
Heavy drinking, especially beer and spirits, has been linked to several different kinds of cancer
Heavy drinking, especially beer and spirits, has been linked to several different kinds of cancer
Drinkers who prefer wine do not appear to face the same risk.
Heavy beer and spirits drinkers increase their risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus, liver and lung, the research claims.
Doctors found 'statistically significant' links between heavy consumption of alcohol and seven different cancers in all. However moderate drinking - less than daily - and wine consumption did not show the same effects.
'We compared people who drank heavily to our reference group, who abstained or drank only very occasionally,' said Dr Andrea Benedetti from the department of medicine at McGill University in Montreal.
'We also looked for trends across our categories: non-drinkers, weekly drinkers and daily drinkers. The results were astounding.
'We saw increased risk for oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.
'The strongest risk was for oesophageal and liver cancer.'
The research, published in the medical journal Cancer Detection and Prevention, used data originally collected for a massive occupational cancer study in Montreal in the 1980s.
The information was a treasure-trove, said Dr Benedetti.
She continued: 'Lifetime interviews were conducted with people about their job histories and detailed information about all the things they could have been exposed to was collected.
'As it turns out, the data also included information about non-occupational factors such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, diet and socio-economic status.
'For the most part we showed that light drinkers were less affected or not affected at all. It is people who drink every day or multiple times a day who are at risk.
'This adds to the growing body of evidence that heavy drinking is extremely unhealthy in so many ways.'
They face almost double the usual risk of developing certain cancers, according to research.
The bad news is for those who frequently down large amounts of spirits or beer.
Heavy drinking, especially beer and spirits, has been linked to several different kinds of cancer
Heavy drinking, especially beer and spirits, has been linked to several different kinds of cancer
Drinkers who prefer wine do not appear to face the same risk.
Heavy beer and spirits drinkers increase their risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus, liver and lung, the research claims.
Doctors found 'statistically significant' links between heavy consumption of alcohol and seven different cancers in all. However moderate drinking - less than daily - and wine consumption did not show the same effects.
'We compared people who drank heavily to our reference group, who abstained or drank only very occasionally,' said Dr Andrea Benedetti from the department of medicine at McGill University in Montreal.
'We also looked for trends across our categories: non-drinkers, weekly drinkers and daily drinkers. The results were astounding.
'We saw increased risk for oesophageal cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer.
'The strongest risk was for oesophageal and liver cancer.'
The research, published in the medical journal Cancer Detection and Prevention, used data originally collected for a massive occupational cancer study in Montreal in the 1980s.
The information was a treasure-trove, said Dr Benedetti.
She continued: 'Lifetime interviews were conducted with people about their job histories and detailed information about all the things they could have been exposed to was collected.
'As it turns out, the data also included information about non-occupational factors such as drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, diet and socio-economic status.
'For the most part we showed that light drinkers were less affected or not affected at all. It is people who drink every day or multiple times a day who are at risk.
'This adds to the growing body of evidence that heavy drinking is extremely unhealthy in so many ways.'
cool m8y ill drink 2 that cheers..
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