Heavy-drinking Europeans most prone to digestive cancers

A recent study has found that Europeans’ high alcohol intake puts them at higher risk of developing digestive cancers.

According to a new study by United European Gastroenterology, a non-profit coalition of specialists, Europeans drink more than people on any other continent, an average of 11.2 litres of alcohol per year – the equivalent of just under two drinks a day, the group said, after analysing data collated by the World Health Organisation.

Among the European countries, Lithuanians guzzled on average 3.2 drinks a day, the highest in Europe, followed by Poland and the UK. The Lithuanian government has vowed to curb alcohol consumption by enforcing stricter rules including banning alcohol advertising, raising the drinking age from 18 to 20 and outlawing alcohol sales between 8pm and 10am.

The study also found that Americans drink 20% less each year than Europeans, and one in every four Europeans over the age of 15 drinks heavily, meaning that they drink more than four alcoholic drinks at least once a week, as reported by Bloomberg.

People living South East Asia drink around 3.5 litres of alcoholic drinks annually, while Africans drink around six litres a year, according to the study.

“There are carcinogenic effects from alcohol that primarily affect the gastrointestinal tract,” Richard Gardner, chief executive of the British Society of Gastroenterology, told Bloomberg. “Fundamentally, there’s no such thing as no-risk drinking.”