“How many cigarettes are there in a bottle of wine?” While you may not find any actual cigarettes in your wine, researchers in the UK recently delved into the cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption.
In a study published in the BMC Public Health journal, gastroenterology expert Theresa J. Hydes and her team reveal that the public lacks awareness of alcohol’s link to various types of cancer. They also highlight tactics employed by the alcohol industry to suppress this information.
The study compared cancer risks between non-smokers who drank, non-drinking smokers, and non-smoking drinkers. The results showed that one bottle of wine a week increased cancer risk in non-smoking men by 1% and in non-smoking women by 1.4%, while smoking 10 cigarettes a week increased the risk by 2.1% in men and 1.5% in women.
Overall, it’s crucial for everyone to understand the connection between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, with women being particularly affected. In fact, drinking one bottle of wine weekly is equivalent to smoking 10 cigarettes in terms of cancer risk.
Alcohol consumption is responsible for an estimated 3.5% of cancer deaths in the US, in addition to its association with various health problems. While wine may offer some health benefits, there are healthier alternatives to obtain those benefits without increasing cancer risk.
- Dark chocolate
- Blueberries
- Salmon
- Green tea
- Avocados
- Pecans
- Goji berries
- Kale
Related: There’s No Safe Level of Smoking: Here’s How Occasional Smoking Affects Your Health
