Alcohol Increases Women's Risk of Cancer

Last week findings from the latest alcohol study were released and suggested that women's risk of cancer is significantly increased by drinking alcohol. Private medical insurance companies are aware of the health risks related to alcohol consumption and adjust their premiums accordingly.

Oxford University researchers found that by drinking as little as one small glass of alcohol a day a woman can increase her risk of developing cancer by as much as 6%. This represents 7,000 cases a year with the greatest risk being breast cancer. Other linked cancers were rectal, liver, throat and mouth. The study followed one million women over seven years.

The risks of too much alcohol consumption have been well documented. Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "We know that too much alcohol increases the risk of a number of cancers. This latest study shows that even relatively low levels of drinking increase a woman's risk. It is important that women are as well informed as possible so they can take responsible decisions over how much alcohol they drink.'

Previous research has shown more positive links between alcohol and health. In some small studies red wine has shown some protection against prostrate cancer although other studies have contradicted this. Also drinking small amounts of alcohol has been found to protect against heart disease in men and women over 40. Conversely heavy drinking will increase the risk of heart disease by a large percentage.

Overall, alcohol consumption has more negative health links than positive and it is the middle classes who are at greater risk. Recent studies showed that middle class people are more likely to be heavy drinkers (exceeding the safe alcohol limit by double) when compared to working class people. This has implications for health insurance as most people who have medical cover are from middle class backgrounds.

Misuse of alcohol is thought to cost the economy £25bn a year and there are 811,000 hospital admissions a year that are linked to drinking.

Some private health insurance companies will not cover any health matters that are linked to alcohol misuse and may not cover individuals with a history of alcohol abuse at all. If you compare health insurance policies you find that BUPA do provide cover for alcohol related symptoms in their more expensive policies under the psychiatric conditions. And AXA PPP do not cover it for individuals but do in 'group' policies. The FSA ruled that it is not necessary for private health insurance companies to include alcohol related illness as part of their exclusions therefore it is important to read the small print because what that means is that even if it is not explicitly ruled out it does not mean that you will get treatment.

So what are the government recommended alcohol limits?

Men: no more than 3 or 4 units
Women: no more than 2 or 3 units

The NHS has a useful website which explores safe limits and gives advise on safe drinking as well providing a unit calculator which helps you work out how many units in typical drink measures.

In conclusion, what is clear is that alcohol is linked to many health risks and social problems. Alcohol consumption appears to be on the increase, particularly amongst the young which makes the current statistics even more alarming. Sticking to the current medical guidelines seems to be the most sensible option for now.