Binge drinking boosts cancer risk, British health officials warn

With alcohol rated as one of Britain's biggest healthproblems and binge-drinking revellers causing mayhem in citycentres every weekend, health chiefs said no level of drinkingcould be considered safe.

• Binge drinking by young women raises future health risks
  

"Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a healthrisk for anyone, but if men and women limit their intake to nomore than 14 units a week it keeps the risk of illness likecancer and liver disease low," said Sally Davies, the ChiefMedical Officer for England.

One picture taken in Manchester which showed policearresting a suspect with a man in the background lying prostratein the road reaching for a bottle of beer went viral on socialmedia, with suggestions it had similarities to paintings by thelikes of William Hogarth and Italian master Caravaggio.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who often entertains visitingleaders in a local pub, considered the possibility of minimumalcohol prices to cut down excessive drinking but the governmentrejected the plan in 2013, saying there was not enough evidenceit would be effective.

Boozy Britain?

It also says pregnant women should drink no alcohol at all,another revision from the previous guidelines which suggested asmall amount was safe.

The British recommendations are similar to those suggestedby U.S. health officials in new advice issued on Thursday butstricter than the guidance from many other European countries.

The Canadian low-risk drinking guidelinesrecommendno more than two drinks a day, 10 per week for women, and three drinks a day, 15 per week for men, with an extra drink allowed on special occasions.

'Nanny state'

"It also means that UK men are now being advised to drinksignificantly less than their European counterparts," PortmanGroup Chief Executive Henry Ashworth said.

However, critics said the guidance was an over-reaction andfigures showed alcohol consumption in Britain had been falling.

Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at theInstitute of Economic Affairs, accused the health chiefs ofignoring evidence which showed moderate drinking reduced therisk of heart disease and the overall risk of death.

"People deserve to get honest and accurate health advicefrom the Chief Medical Officer, not scaremongering."

"But frankly if we choose to enjoy a few drinks four or fivenights a week after a hard day at work, whether it slightlyshortens our lives or not, so what," he told LBC radio.