Moderate alcohol consumption may still raise cancer risk

British scientists have found evidence that even moderate alcohol intake may be associated with a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer.

During the study nearly 1.3 million women were survey by Oxford University researchers about their alcohol consumption habits, and their health was subsequently tracked for seven years.

The women reported an average of one drink per day, and when the researchers compared that to those who have more than two drinks per day, they found that each extra drink increased the risk of breast, rectal and liver cancer.

In all, the researchers concluded that 13 percent of those cancers in Britain may be attributable to alcohol.

The study was reported in the March 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, but fails to settle the debate on the overall health benefits (or damage) resulting from alcohol.

For example, it found that moderate consumption in fact lowered the risk of thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and renal cell cancer.

Moreover, it did not address the conclusion of many other studies which have found heart benefits from the consumption of certain alcohol types, in particular wine.