An international team of researchers reports that 3.6 percent of all cancer cases worldwide are related to alcohol drinking, and these lead to 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths.
"A causal link has been established between alcohol drinking and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, larynx, and breast," Dr. Paolo Boffetta, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, and colleagues write in the International Journal of Cancer. "For other cancers, a causal association is suspected."
More than 60 percent of alcohol-related cancers in men were in the upper digestive tract, and approximately 60 percent of alcohol-associated cancers in women were in the breast.
[SOURCE: REUTERS, 03 Aug 2006 ]
A jigger of alcohol (red wine, preferably) helps reduce the risk of having stroke and heart attacks, but anything that's in excess of moderation will also likely have bad effects. Cancers of the upper digestive tract and the breast are simply understated examples of what these "bad effects" can be.
In Britain where this study was conducted, the average loss of life due to alcohol drinking was 10 months for men and 5 months for women.
Another bad effect is losing one's mind: there were 367,000 violent attacks directly attributable to alcohol drinking every year. If you don't become violent after a couple of drinks, you suddenly might observe yourself becoming very eloquent and effusive. Inhibitions fade and you feel very free to do anything you like. Witness the recent Mel Gibson fallout.
Drink responsibly.
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