Drinking a glass of wine a day 'can double cancer risk'

DRINKING even a single glass of wine a day can more than double the risk of cancer, a French study suggests.

Experts at the National Cancer Institute in Paris warn that repeated small doses of alcohol can hugely increase the risk of developing cancer.

The research contradicts other studies which have found that drinking moderate amounts of red wine can be good for the health.

The institute's president Dominique Maraninchi said: "Small daily doses of alcohol are the most harmful. There is no amount, however small, which is good for you."

Even drinking one unit of alcohol per day - a glass of wine, half a pint of beer or a single measure of spirits - can raise the risk of colonic cancer by nine per cent, the study claimed. It would send the risk of mouth or throat cancer soaring by 168per cent.

The study said alcohol was now the second most avoidable cause of death after tobacco. Other studies have found that antioxidants in red wine cut the risk of cancer, and that a single glass a day was also good for the liver.

Research published in the medical journal Neurology last year said people who drank modest amounts of alcohol developed dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, at an 85 per cent slower rate than those who did not drink.

Britain is the 10th biggest drinking nation in the world, consuming about 12 litres of pure alcohol per person per year - the equivalent of three glasses of wine every day. France is in 17th place, on about 11 litres of pure alcohol per year, according to World Health Organisation figures.

The National Cancer Institute study also found that eating more than 500g of red meat can raise the risk of colonic cancer, and that excessive levels of salt increases the likelihood of stomach cancer.

The report added: "Cancer is dependent on many factors, and there is no miracle diet that remove the risks. But eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, avoiding alcohol and tobacco and doing regular physical exercise has been proven to reduce the risks dramatically."