Alcohol misuse is an important factor in a number of
cancers, including liver and mouth cancers. Alcohol is
second only to smoking as a risk factor for oral and
digestive tract cancers. Evidence suggests that this
could be because when you drink, the alcohol in your
body is converted into a toxic chemical called
acetaldehyde. This can damage your DNA and stop
acetalde
your cells from repairing that damage, which can
lead to cancer.
A glass a day? This might not be such a good idea.
With alcohol and the heart, it’s a beneet and risk
trade-oo. So, for example, alcohol’s anti-clotting
ability, potentially protective against heart attacks,
may increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke
(when a blood vessel bursts inside the brain) or
bleeding within the brain. Beyond the daily unit
guidelines, alcohol’s potential beneets on the heart
are outweighed by the risks of developing other
illnesses, such as liver disease or cancer. Because,
let’s face it, how many of us only have one glass?
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