Drinking more than half a liter of beer a day can substantially increase the risk of contracting certain types of cancer , according to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
According to the work directed by Madlen Schutze, from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, and based on more than 350,000 subjects from eight European countries -including Spain-, one in 10 cases of cancer in men and one in 33 in women are due to alcohol intake in the past or present . Moreover, for the types of cancer associated with alcohol (esophagus, liver, intestine and breast in women), the study concluded that one in 3 cases in men and one in 20 in women would be caused by the abuse of alcoholic beverages .
Schutze and his team concluded that the risk of developing one of these types of cancer is especially increased in men who drink more than 250 ml of wine or half a liter of beer (each equivalent to 24 grams of alcohol , approximately) per day. In the case of women, the limit is half (12 grams).
Madlen Schutze says that "more cases of cancer could be prevented if people reduced their alcohol consumption below the recommended maximum limits."
