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Just one pint of beer a day dramatically increases the risk of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, research has found.
A Canadian study found that the equivalent of 21 units a week – the average consumed by Britons – raises the chance of being diagnosed with the disease by between ten and 30 per cent.
Currently alcohol consumption is not listed as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
‘The World Health Organisation lists seven types of cancer, including mouth, breast and colon cancer, as being linked to alcohol consumption,’ says Dr Tim Naimi, one of the study’s authors.
‘A growing body of evidence points to alcohol consumption as a cause of pancreatic cancer, and this analysis is a significant contribution to that.’
The NHS says adults should not drink more than 14 units a week – the equivalent of one medium glass of wine or pint of standard beer a night. But research shows that most Britons exceed this.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, in part because its early symptoms are so subtle they often go unnoticed. Each year it claims around 10,000 lives in the UK – the equivalent of one death every hour.
Nine in ten patients die within a year of diagnosis. Although it can affect adults of any age, pancreatic cancer is most commonly diagnosed in people over 80.
The NHS says adults should not drink more than 14 units a week. Here a young man drinks a pint of beer in a pub (Stock image)
Like many cancers, the risk increases with age, but other known risk factors include smoking and obesity.
Worryingly, the disease is becoming more common. Cancer Research UK says pancreatic cancer has become 18 per cent more prevalent since the early 1990s, and by next year it is projected to overtake breast cancer as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the UK.
Experts hope that the latest research can help stem the tide of cases by informing people of the risks.
‘After rigorously analysing the existing evidence, we strongly believe it’s time to add pancreatic cancer to the list of alcohol-related cancers,’ says Dr Naimi, whose team are based at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.
