Slash ‘safe’ drink limits for anyone overweight
OVERWEIGHT drinkers are at three times greater risk of developing alcohol-related cancers, research has found.
Now scientists want recommended drinking limits to be slashed for those overweight.
Data on nearly 400,000 UK adults found even moderate drinkers who stayed within safe guidelines were at 53 per cent greater risk if they were carrying too much weight.
This compared to a 19 per cent increased cancer risk of drinking within guidelines for those of a healthy weight.
Being overweight or obese also made drinkers more likely to develop liver disease, a separate study found. UK chief medical officers say it is safest for men and women not to drink more than 14 units a week – equivalent to six pints of beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine.
Dr Elif Inan-Eroglu, who conducted both studies when at the University of Sydney, thinks the guidelines are too general.
She said: “People with obesity, especially those with excess body fat, need to be more aware of the risks around alcohol consumption. Alcohol drinking guidelines should consider the obesity levels of people.”
The study also found drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week increased the chance of cancer by 61 per cent if overweight.
This compares to a 37 per cent increased cancer risk of drinking above guidelines for those of healthy weight, compared to teetotallers not overweight.
The eight alcohol-related cancers considered in the study were oral, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, bowel, stomach and breast cancer. The research is presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Maastricht, Netherlands.
An earlier study, published in the European Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, found the overweight or obese had an over 50 per cent greater risk of developing liver disease compared to those of normal weight consuming the same level of alcohol.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said: “Alcohol is responsible for 46 new cancer cases every day in the UK.
“This latest research is yet another reminder of the damage that alcohol can do to our health, and particularly underlines the combined cancer risk of obesity and calorie-rich alcohol.”