A large glass of wine or a couple of spirits such as vodka or gin can have the same effect, she said.
Dr Rachel Thompson, science programme manager for World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), warned that just two units of alcohol — a pint of lager or a large glass of wine — a day increases the risk of bowel cancer by nearly one-fifth and the risk of liver cancer by 20%.
“This might not seem like a lot but when you consider how many cases of these types of cancer are diagnosed every year, it is clear that drinking even relatively small amounts of alcohol can make a significant difference,” she said.
“Yet despite strong evidence, most people still do not know that alcohol increases risk of cancer so it is clear we need to do more to get this message across,” Dr Thompson said.
Bowel cancer claimed about 1,000 Irish lives in 2005 and 2,184 new cases of the disease were diagnosed here in the same year.
Around 300 people have been diagnosed with liver cancer in Ireland since 2000, but incidences of the disease are expected to almost treble from 2005 rates by 2020.
Although men are twice as likely to be affected by cancer of the liver, the increase over the next 12 years is expected to be slightly higher among women.
According to the WCRF, there is also convincing evidence that drinking alcohol also increases the risk of breast cancer and cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus.
The charity recommends not drinking alcohol at all in order to prevent cancer, but if people do drink, it says they should limit it to two drinks a day for a man or one for a woman.
One drink contains about 10g to 15g of pure alcohol. This is the same as half a pint of normal strength beer, lager or cider. It is also the equivalent of one 25ml single measure of vodka, gin or whisky or a 125ml glass of wine.
Previous studies have shown that modest amounts of alcohol may have a protective effect when it comes to heart disease.
But Dr Thompson said this was only relevant for people at particular risk of heart disease, such as men aged over 40 and postmenopausal women.
Source: Jane Kirby, Irish Examiner, 27/12/2008
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