Alcohol firms are misleading the public over the risks of drinking and cancer, researchers claim.
They are using ‘denying’ and ‘distraction’ tactics to rebuff the evidence that even moderate drinking causes the illness.
Alcohol is thought to contribute to at least 4 per cent of all cancers in the UK, about 14,300 cases a year, although this may be an underestimate.
It has been strongly linked to breast cancer and research has shown that even one small glass of wine a day increases the risk by 6 per cent.
Other cancers include bowel, throat, mouth and prostate and researchers believe alcohol damages the cells, triggering tumour formation.
But research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Karolinska Instute in Sweden has concluded that alcohol manufacturers are ‘distorting’ the evidence.
Alcohol firms are using ‘denying’ and ‘distraction’ tactics to rebuff the evidence that even moderate drinking causes the illness, researchers warn
The authors looked at 30 difference websites and other documents and found that the majority ‘misrepresented’ the link to cancer.
Some denied the relationship existed at all whereas others claimed the evidence was ‘highly complex.’
The study also found the firms were particularly vague about the link to breast and bowel cancers, possibly because they are the most common types.
‘The evidence is clear’
Mark Petticrew, Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: ‘The weight of scientific evidence is clear – drinking alcohol increases the risk of some of the most common forms of cancer, including several common cancers.
‘Public awareness of this risk is low, and it has been argued that greater public awareness, particularly of the risk of breast cancer, poses a significant threat to the alcohol industry.
‘Our analysis suggests that the major global alcohol producers may attempt to mitigate this by disseminating misleading information about cancer through their ‘responsible drinking’ bodies.’
‘Existing evidence of strategies employed by the alcohol industry suggests that this may not be a matter of simple error.
‘This has obvious parallels with the global tobacco industry’s decades-long campaign to mislead the public about the risk of cancer, which also used front organisations and corporate social activities.’
Government guidelines
Last January the Government overhauled the national drinking recommendations in response to the mounting evidence that alcohol causes cancer.
The updated advice stresses that even small amounts of alcohol may be harmful and there is no safe level.
Women and men should drink no more than 14 units a week – six pints or glasses of wine – and they should take several days off.
Shortly after the guidelines were published, chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies urged women to think about their risk of cancer before having a glass of wine.
Profit-driven industries
Katherine Brown, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies said: ‘This report shows that, like the tobacco industry before them, alcohol companies are misleading consumers about the evidence linking their products to cancer.
‘We cannot rely on a profit-driven industry to promote public health. Consumers have a right to know the truth about alcohol and cancer, so they can make fully informed decisions about their drinking.’
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, which represents health charities and medical professional bodies said: ‘With only one in ten people aware of the link between alcohol and cancer, people have both a need and a right to clear information about the health risks of drinking alcohol.
‘The time has come to stop relying on voluntary agreements with an alcohol industry that is putting profits before people’s health.’