een told that drinking in moderation alcohol may help lower heart risk. But fewer people and organizations may tell you that alcoholic drinks are actually a carcinogen recognized by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, meaning that drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer.A study released in the March 4, 2013 in European Journal of Public Health has found that alcohol drinking was responsible in 2009 for 13% of total mortality in French men and 5% of total mortality in French women.
S. Guérin from Service de Biostatistique et d'Epidémiologie, Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif Cedex, France and colleagues conducted the study and estimated the alcohol-attributable mortality in France for the year 2009.
Of 36,500 deaths in men recorded in 2009, 13% were found attributed to alcohol consumption, compared with 5% of 12,500 deaths in women.
Specifically, alcohol caused 15,000 deaths from cancers, 12,000 from circulatory diseases, 8000 from digestive system diseases, 8,000 from external causes and 3,000 from mental and behavioral disorders.
The alcohol related deaths were found more common among younger people, 22% and 18% for those aged 15 to 34, and 35 to 64, respectively, compared with 7% among those aged over 65.
The researchers warned that alcohol is harmful even in a very low dose of 13 grams per day, causing 1100 deaths. Y ou do not have to drink so much to get alcohol poisoning to damage yourself.
The study concluded alcohol caused 49,000 deaths in France in 2009 and alcohol kill alcohol consumers even at a very low doses.
The U.S. physicians warn that if you drink, drink in moderation, and if you don't drink, you should not start drinking. In addition to deaths, alcohol can also result in poor health and affect the quality of your life. (reporting by David Liu, PHD)
