Only one in five women in Europe know that drinking alcohol can cause breast cancer

The European branch of the WHO warned on Friday, March 8, that there is a lack of awareness about the dangerous nature of alcohol on women’s health, even though it is the cause of numerous breast cancers.

Hardly more than one in five women in Europe know that alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer, a disease that constitutes a “major” health problem in the region, according to the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“21% of women in 14 European countries are aware of the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing breast cancer. Awareness is even lower among men: only 10% know the link”, WHO-Europe, which brings together 53 countries. And extends to Central Asia, warns a press release. On the old continent, 600,000 cases of breast cancer were reported in 2022.

“For women in Europe, breast cancer is the leading alcohol-attributable cancer, representing 66% of all alcohol-attributable cancer cases,” the UN agency noted.

A third case due to “two small glasses of wine per day”.

Alcohol specifically affects estrogen levels which play a role in the development of many breast cancers. Even relatively small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk, the WHO warns.

“More than half of alcohol-attributable breast cancer cases in Europe are not due to excessive alcohol consumption, and a third of new annual cases are due to consumption of two small glasses of wine per day”, it wrote.

It is therefore important to change alcohol consumption habits across Europe, which have not changed since 2010, through new public policies, the organization said.

The second most frequent cancer

To prevent cancer risk factors, “WHO urges countries to place clear warnings on alcoholic products, as they already do for tobacco products,” said the organization’s regional director, Hans Kluge.

The region “has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world – one in ten deaths is alcohol-related – reducing or limiting our alcohol consumption is an excellent starting point for reducing harmful effects and prioritizing health,” he added.

According to the WHO, breast cancer is the second most frequent cancer, with 2.3 million cases worldwide in 2022.

Studies presented by its European branch include Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Estonia, France, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden.

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