Alerts to cancer risks of alcoholic drinks

From Yahoo News:
Even Moderate Drinking Linked to Increased Cancer Risk
By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine
Healthy Living – Fri, Feb 15, 2013 3:11 PM EST

New research shows that even a single alcoholic drink per day can increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer in women.

Though people have long believed that a glass or two of wine can be good for your heart, the new study, conducted in conjunction with researchers in the U.S., Canada, and France, shows that the cancer risks far outweigh any heart-healthy benefits.

Related: What the Author of "Drinking With Men" Has to Say About Boys, Bars, and Drinking Alone

"Alcohol has long been known and recognized as a human carcinogen, so even some alcohol consumption raises your risks," Dr. Timothy Naimi, an alcohol researcher at Boston University's School of Public Health and a physician at the Boston University Medical Center who helped design and direct the study, told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. "On the balance of all people who begin drinking, many more people are killed by alcohol than helped by it."

Related: Heavy Drinking Raises Risk of Divorce

"No public health body or clinical body recommends that people start drinking to improve their health," he added.

The research, published Friday in the American Journal of Public Health, relied on existing data about cancer deaths, alcohol consumption, and risk estimates from other scientific studies. It marks the first time that researchers have examined alcohol-related cancer rates in 30 years.

They found that alcohol could be blamed for about 20,000 cancer deaths each year, or 1 out of every 30 cancer deaths in the United States, which was about what they expected. But while heavy drinkers faced the highest risks, about a third of those deaths were among people who drank only small amounts of alcohol—1.5 alcoholic drinks or fewer per day. And it didn't matter what type of drink was consumed; standard servings of beer (12 ounces), wine (5 ounces), and hard liquor (1.5 ounces) all contain the same amount of alcohol.

The stats sound scary, but Naimi told Yahoo! Shine that the risks for mild to moderate drinkers are very low. "The people who drink small amounts of alcohol needn't be duly concerned about this," he said. "But it is important to recognize that when it comes to cancer, there's no free lunch."

While more men die from alcohol-related cancers than women (men do tend to drink more), women have more adverse consequences from drinking, not only because they tend to have less body mass than men, but because they also metabolize alcohol less efficiently. The study found that about 6,000 female breast cancer deaths each year—or 15 percent—could be attributed to alcohol consumption; for men, cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus were the most common types of alcohol-related cancer. Alcohol is also linked to cancer of the liver, colon, and rectum.

The study also eliminated the common misconception that Europeans, especially in France and Germany, are healthier than Americans even though they drink plenty of alcohol. If Europeans are healthier, Naimi said, it's not likely because of their drinking habits: The number of cancer deaths attributable to alcohol in Europe was higher than in the United States.

Researcher acknowledge that people are unlikely to give up alcohol altogether. "In general, drinking less is better than drinking more, and for people who drink excessively it's something to think about," Naimi said. "Alcohol is a big preventable cancer risk factor that has been hiding in plain sight."

Beware of these cancerous chemicals in your work or home-lives

We know not to smoke or chew tobacco.

But we must further beware of other items that can cause the development of cancer.

These environment substances can be contributory to the development of cancers:
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (uses:
vinyl siding for houses --incidentally, such siding is banned by local authorities in some countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands [source: polyvinyl chloride article, wikipedia]
sex toys have high concentrations of PVCs [source: polyvinyl chloride article, wikipedia]
car interiors {that "new car smell"}, outgassing" {open those windows!} is recommended for new cars. Japanese car makers, Nissan, Honda and Toyota eliminated PVC use in cars in 2007.

vinyl flooring is considered toxic to children, according to a Swedish-Danish study, but a European study found no risk.

Bisphenol A ("BPA") is a substance found in plastic bottles. It has been found to interfere with reproductive function in animals and has been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans. -Physorg.com, May 21, 2009. A Harvard School of Public Health monitored BPA levels in urine of drinkers from plastic bottles.

REMINDER OF BOTTLES TO AVOID --from thegreenguide.com, a site project of National Geographic:

What To Buy:

#2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP: These three types of plastic are your best choices. They transmit no known chemicals into your food and they're generally recyclable; #2 is very commonly accepted by municipal recycling programs, but you may have a more difficult time finding someone to recycle your #4 and #5 containers.

#1 PET: Fine for single use and widely accepted by municipal recyclers; avoid reusing #1 water and soda bottles, as they're hard to clean, and because plastic is porous, these bottles absorb flavors and bacteria that you can't get rid of.

PLA: plastics made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane and anything else with a high starch content; although you can't recycle these plant-based plastics, you can compost them in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap.

Plastics to Avoid:

#3 PVC: Used frequently in cling wraps for meat, PVC contains softeners called phthalates that interfere with hormonal development, and its manufacture and incineration release dioxin, a potent carcinogen and hormone disruptor.

#6 PS: Polystyrene-foam cups and clear plastic take-out containers can leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food.

#7 PC: The only plastic made with bisphenol A, polycarbonate is used in baby bottles, 5-gallon water-cooler bottles and the epoxy linings of tin food cans. Bisphenol A has been linked to a wide variety of problems such as heart disease and obesity.

NEGATIVE DIETARY SUBSTANCES:
nitrates, nitrites, fatty foods, high caloric diet, >>> negative diet substances
(Yet, a commenter at a chow.com reports that s/he has found nitrate/free bacon at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.) On the other hand, WebMD reports that nitrites and nitrates in "leafy vegetables and meats" "may cut heart damage."

HEALTHY FOODS WE SHOULD EAT MORE OF:
fruits and vegetables, high fiber food (inc whole grain cereals and cruciferous vegetables)
cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, bok choy, turnips, turnip greens)