Having a glass a day may cause cancer

could reduce the risk of heart disease were not based on robust enough evidence, she found.

‘‘Any public advice about drinking should not include any mention of benefits. Because even if there’s a benefit, alcohol is not the way to do that. Alcohol is addictive, it’s poisonous,’’ she said.

‘‘I think it’s outrageous that the Ministry of Health is not in line with the major health professional organisations in the country.’’

Ministry of Health acting chief medical officer Dr Andrew Simpson stood by the ministry’s recommendations, restating the possible benefits of moderate drinking for some older and middle-aged people.

‘‘However, people who do not already drink alcohol are not encouraged to take up drinking just to get some health benefits.’’

He said the ministry’s guidelines to lower risk regarding alcohol consumption were appropriate, but warned people to limit their drinking. ‘‘Low-risk is not no-risk.’’ Connor’s review found that alcohol causes at least seven forms of cancer: oropharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum and female breast.

The review cited evidence that alcohol caused half a million cancer deaths in 2012, or 5.8 per cent of worldwide cancer death.

In 2014, the Cancer Society also warned : ’’The strength of evidence for a causal relationship between alcohol use and cancer is of the highest level.’’

The good news is it’s not too late to give up – the risk of some cancers decreasing when people stop drinking.