A major study led by La Trobe University has sent a wake up call to residents across Melbourne’s north and west revealing that cutting just one litre of alcohol from your annual intake could drastically reduce cancer deaths.
The research which analysed seven decades of Australian health data shows a direct link between long term drinking and several deadly cancers. Researchers found that alcohol exposure is a causal factor in nearly half of all male liver and upper aerodigestive tract cancer deaths. Women are also at high risk with alcohol linked to fourteen per cent of female breast cancer deaths and over twenty per cent of deaths from cancers of the mouth and throat.
Associate Professor Jason Jiang from the Bundoora based university says the findings are particularly urgent for older residents. With the local population ageing and older cohorts typically drinking more than younger generations cancer deaths could climb without immediate changes to habits and government policy.
The good news is that small changes make a massive difference. Reducing annual consumption by one litre per person could drop male liver cancer deaths by nearly four per cent and female breast cancer deaths by over two per cent.
Health experts are urging locals to stick to the national guidelines of no more than ten standard drinks a week and no more than four on any single day. While the World Health Organization warns that no amount of alcohol is truly safe when it comes to cancer risk following these limits can significantly lower your danger.
Lead researchers are now calling for stronger preventive measures including clearer warning labels and closing tax loopholes to help protect the community from these preventable deaths.
