An alarming new study suggests that middle aged women drinking just one glass of wine a day increase their risk of breast cancer by 60%.
The findings, to be published by the Department of Health later this year, show that women who drink more than the recommended 14 units of alcohol each week, the equivalent of 7 glasses of wine, were at least 60% more likely to develop breast cancer than those who drank within the guideline amount.
Stronger wines and variable measures have led to confusion over how many units of alcohol drinkers actually consume. A large glass of wine can now contain almost 4 units of alcohol, which means only a few drinks in a session can take someone perilously close to the safe weekly limit.
The Government is launching a new advertising campaign highlighting the health risks associated with excessive drinking. The £10 million campaign, to be shown on billboards, TV and in cinemas, signals a shift in emphasis from the anti-social aspects of alcohol such as drink driving towards the health impact.
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Women who regularly drink too much are 50 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer and many drink too much simply because they have no idea how many alcohol units they are consuming.
The findings, to be published by the Department of Health later this year, show that women who drink more than the recommended 14 units of alcohol each week, the equivalent of 7 glasses of wine, were at least 60% more likely to develop breast cancer than those who drank within the guideline amount.
Stronger wines and variable measures have led to confusion over how many units of alcohol drinkers actually consume. A large glass of wine can now contain almost 4 units of alcohol, which means only a few drinks in a session can take someone perilously close to the safe weekly limit.
The Government is launching a new advertising campaign highlighting the health risks associated with excessive drinking. The £10 million campaign, to be shown on billboards, TV and in cinemas, signals a shift in emphasis from the anti-social aspects of alcohol such as drink driving towards the health impact.
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Women who regularly drink too much are 50 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer and many drink too much simply because they have no idea how many alcohol units they are consuming.
"They don't know how many units they are drinking and they don't know that, at 3.5 units, that large glass of Rioja they drank last night actually took them over their daily amount."
The study, of almost half a million people, clearly highlights the relationship between excessive drinking and the cancer which claims 16,000 lives in the UK each year. Worryingly the study also reports that drinking just one large glass of wine each day is enough to raise the risk of developing breast cancer by 10%.
