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Men told to drink no more than 7 pints a week and have several 'booze-free' days

Drinking any amount of alcohol regularly raises your risk of cancer, the country’s top doctor says in a shake-up of guidelines.

Weekly limits on booze have been cut for men to 14 units – the same as for women, whose limit stays the same.

That is the equivalent of seven pints of average strength lager (4°) or seven 175ml glasses of wine (12°).

Drinkers should have several booze-free days a week and not “save up” the 14 units for one or two days because this raises the risk of dying from long-term illness, accidents and injuries.

Read more: Red wine is NOT good for you, doctors insist in landmark report

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies, who unveils the guidelines today, will warn that Brits who drink “any level of alcohol” are increasing their risk of developing cancer.

It comes amid growing fears that people are drinking too much because they think it is healthy.

Warning: Drinking at low levels could increase risk of certain cancers

When the guidelines were last amended 20 years ago scientists believed drinking small amounts of booze, particularly wine, helped cut heart disease risk.

But now boozers are warned even drinking at low levels is linked to cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus and breast.

Read more: Wine has more alcohol than manufacturers put on the label, study claims

At higher levels, there is an increased risk of bowel and liver cancer. Drinking regularly over time can also lead to a wide range of other illnesses including strokes, heart disease, liver disease, and damage to the brain and nervous system.

Evidence that red wine or other alcohol is beneficial for health “is considered less strong than it was”, the guidelines say.

Alcohol Units Guidelines: New weekly alcohol limits for men and women

Only women aged 55 and over may benefit from the protective effect of drinking on heart health, research suggests.

Prof Linda Bauld, of Cancer Research UK , welcomed the guidelines, saying: “There is no ‘safe’ level of drinking when it comes to cancer.”

Matt Field, professor of addiction at the University of Liverpool, said: “Any amount of alcohol consumption carries some risk.”

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, added: “This is a real step in the right direction on alcohol in the UK.”

via : dailyrecord – Health