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Small alcohol intake changes save lives: Study
Drinking just one litre of alcohol less per year reduces rates of liver, colorectal, and breast cancer deaths, new research shows.
Long-term alcohol exposure was found to be a causal factor in 48% of male liver cancer deaths.
If Australians reduce their annual alcohol consumption by just one litre per person, thousands of cancer deaths could be prevented each year, according to new research.
The study, led by La Trobe University, analysed more than 70 years of Australian mortality, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and health expenditure data.
The findings, published this month in the British Journal of Cancer, show long-term alcohol exposure is a causal factor in:
- 45% of male and 21% of female upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer deaths
- 48% of male liver cancer deaths
- 15% of male and 4% of female colorectal cancer deaths
- 14% of female breast cancer deaths.
However, they also discovered reducing alcohol consumption by one litre per person each year could lead to a reduction in alcohol-related cancer deaths of:
- 3.6% fewer UADT cancer deaths in men and 3.4% fewer in women
- 3.9% fewer male liver cancer deaths
- 1.2% fewer male colorectal cancer deaths and 0.7% fewer in women
- 2.3% fewer female breast cancer deaths.
The study found the strongest alcohol-related cancer impacts were in those aged 50 years and older.
And as Australia’s population continues to rise, and with those in their 60s
more likely to consume alcohol at risky levels than the general population, the research warns deaths among older people will increase without preventive action.
‘Studies have shown that policies aimed at reducing per capita alcohol consumption, such as taxation and restrictions on availability, have led to decreases in both mean consumption and the proportion of high-risk drinkers,’ the study said.
‘These findings suggest that changes in the distribution of alcohol consumption are a crucial mechanism through which population-level drinking patterns influence long-term cancer mortality trends.’
Lead author Associate Professor Jason Jiang said the study shows that reducing population-wide drinking through proven policies, such as alcohol taxation, regulating availability and limiting advertising, could deliver substantial reductions in cancer mortality.
‘Although the WHO states that there is no level of alcohol consumption that is safe for risk of cancer, if more of the population followed drinking guidelines it would considerably reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancers substantially,’ he said.
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