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 Press releases & statements |
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| Cancer charity calls for more alcohol awareness in men |
August 11, 2008
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More needs to be done to get the message across to men that drinking alcohol increases risk of cancer, World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has warned.
More needs to be done to get the message across to men that drinking alcohol increases risk of cancer, World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has warned.
This is because while women are now more aware than ever about the risks of alcohol, awareness among men has not gone up at all in the last year.
According to a recent YouGov survey commissioned by WCRF, the percentage of British women who are aware alcohol is a cause of cancer has increased from 35 per cent to 42 per cent over the last year. Earlier this year, the Government launched an advertising campaign aimed at raising awareness of the link among women.
But in British men, 36 per cent were aware of the link a year ago and this figure has not increased at all over the last year.
This is despite an increasing weight of scientific evidence linking alcohol to cancer. There is now strong evidence that alcohol increases risk of breast cancer, bowel cancer, kidney cancer and cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus.
Lisa Cooney, Head of Education for WCRF, said: “It is good news that women are increasingly aware that drinking alcohol increases your risk of cancer.
“But the fact that men are no more aware about alcohol and cancer than they were a year ago is really worrying. The scientific evidence is stronger than ever before but it seems that the message is just not getting through.
“This is a cause for concern because we want to be reaching everybody with this message so that people are in a position to make an informed choice about how much they drink. We recommend that if people drink alcohol at all, they limit consumption to two drinks a day for a man and one for a woman.”
For more information on the link between alcohol and cancer risk, people can download the WCRF recommendations booklet at www.wcrf-uk.org/publications
ENDS
For more information, contact Richard Evans on 020 7343 4253.
About WCRF
World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) raises awareness that cancer is largely preventable and helps people make choices to reduce their chances of developing the disease.
This includes research into how cancer risk is related to diet, physical activity, and weight management, and education programmes that highlight the fact that about a third of cancers could be prevented through changes to lifestyle. For more information on the charity’s work, visit www.wcrf-uk.org
The WCRF report, called Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, was launched in November 2007 and is the most comprehensive report ever published on the link between cancer and lifestyle. For more information, visit www.dietandcancerreport.org. |
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WCRF UK, 19 Harley Street, London W1G 9QJ - Tel: 020 7343 4200 - Fax: 020 7343 4201 - wcrf@wcrf.org
Registered Charity No. 1000739
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