Alcohol is fuelling ill health and worsening risks from smoking and obesity
- “If we want to prevent cancer, we need to rethink alcohol’s role in UK society”
Alcohol is fuelling its own harms – but evidence also shows it is increasing the spread of cancers from smoking and obesity. That’s the warning from North East health campaigners for Cancer Prevention Action Week (20-26 Feb).
Fresh and Balance, the North East tobacco and alcohol programme, say there has never been a more urgent time to address rising alcohol harm in England.
Alcohol is a group one carcinogen and a direct cause of at least seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancer, but as few as 1 in 3 people in the North East[i] and 1 in 10 people nationally [ii] are aware of the cancer link.
Evidence shows how alcohol fuels other risks:
- Alcohol is a trigger that makes some people want to smoke. It raises cancer risk even more if you smoke and drink[iii], especially cancers of the mouth and throat[iv]. The recent Health and Social Care Select Committee heard that 2 million people in England smoke and drink at levels that pose a risk to health.[v]
- Alcohol may put people who are living with obesity at even more risk of an alcohol related cancer. Research from University of Sydney found drinkers who are living with obesity are three times more likely to develop an alcohol-related cancer. See https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/951911
- Alcohol is driving over 77,000 hospital admissions / secondary diagnoses a year in England for cancer, amid 980,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions in total.[vi]
- Secondary diagnoses include cardiovascular disease, mental and behavioural disorders, cancers and other diseases. Liver disease has been described by British Liver Trust as a public health emergency, with liver deaths soaring 400% since the 1970s[vii].
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, said: “If you regularly drink alcohol, cutting down is a really important way to reduce the risks from cancer, heart disease and liver disease.
“But we also know alcohol can raise the cancer risks further with regards to both smoking and obesity. Alcohol cancer risks can start from any level of regular drinking and there is no “safe” level.
“With no health labels or national awareness raising campaigns, people who drink are being kept in the dark around cancer risks. And without action on price, cheap alcohol is enabling people to drink at dangerous levels for around £5.
“We welcome action happening now to create a smokefree generation but where is that action for alcohol?”
Balance has ran the “Alcohol is Toxic” campaign in the North East to highlight that alcohol is the cause of seven types of cancer, including bowel, breast, throat and mouth cancers and with the risks starting at any level of regular drinking. The campaign has prompted calls by the Alcohol Health Alliance for alcohol health campaigns to run nationally, just like for smoking.
Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health for Gateshead and Alcohol Prevention Lead for Association of Directors of Public Health North East, said: “Alcohol is so culturally ingrained in our culture – from sports sponsorship to soap operas. We would never recommend people “smoke responsibly” but that’s exactly what we have for alcohol.
“If we are really serious about preventing cancer and improving health in our local communities, we need to rethink alcohol’s role in UK society and the lack of national appetite to address its harms.
“The time is long overdue for a clear national approach to addressing all unhealthy products so that we can put an end to the undue amount of influence industries have over our health so they can keep profits flowing.”
The last national strategy to tackle alcohol harm was published in 2012 by the Coalition Government, setting out 30 commitments and actions to reduce alcohol harm, including reducing the availability of cheap alcohol through duty rises and minimum unit pricing.