Even if you’re a light drinker, you’re at risk of cancer

Even if you’re a light drinker, you’re at risk of cancer

An new study has come to some rather unnerving conclusions about even light drinking -- and here's why you should be concerned.

A new study has found that even people who only drink a light or moderate amount of alcohol will see a big increase in risk of getting multiple types of cancer.

The study found that women who have one drink per day or a man that has two drinks per day will see a rise in cancer risk, according to a BBC report.

The findings were published in the British Medical Journal and used two large studies in the United States involving 100,000 adults. It came to the conclusion that there is a strong link between drinking alcohol and contracting cancer, especially breast cancer but also including mouth, bowel, liver, and throat cancer.

It’s sure to be a big surprise for people who may think that as long as they aren’t drinking heavily, they’re safe from the bad effects of alcohol. The study shows there is no safe level of alcohol, although the risks are proportional with the amount that you drink, and as long as you are within recommended limits, you are generally at a low risk of causing harm to your body. There may even be benefits with some types of alcohol with red wine, although the study showed that all types can cause an increased cancer risk. Smoking along with drinking compounds that risk.

What can you do about it? You don’t necessarily have to give up drinking altogether. Medical experts advise people to keep their drinking at low levels, with no more than three to four units of alcohol per day, equivalent to a couple beers, and women should keep it to two or three units, which comes out to about two small glasses of wine.

The study defines light to moderate drinking as 15g of alcohol for women, or about one small glass of wine, and double that amount for men.

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