In the run up to the New Year's Eve festivities a scientist in Britain has chosen an opportune moment to warn revellers that drinking alcohol, even in relatively small amounts, can increase a tipplers risk of developing cancer.
Dr. Rachel Thompson, from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) says that a large glass of wine, a pint of beer or two measures of gin or vodka on a daily basis can increase a person's bowel and liver cancer risk by as much as 20%.
Dr. Thompson a science programme manager for WCRF says even though there is strong evidence which supports this claim, most people still do not know that alcohol increases the risk of cancer - but the warning does conflict with a fair amount of research in recent years which suggest drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is beneficial in preventing heart disease.
Just this week in the UK recently released figures from the National Health Service (NHS) showed that middle class, middle-aged people are the most likely to consume alcohol on five or more nights a week and earlier in the year, the National Audit Office said 10 million Britons were now drinking to "hazardous'' levels.
Dr. Thompson says just two units of alcohol could significantly increase the chances of cancer and increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18% and the risk of liver cancer by 20%.
Scientists suspect that alcohol possibly damages a person's DNA, making them susceptible to the risk of cancer and Dr. Thompson says an examination of the numbers of these types of cancer diagnosed in the UK every year clearly shows that drinking even relatively small amounts of alcohol can make a significant difference.