It seems we've been getting conflicting evidence about alcohol intake and health for years. The past ten years however ,have seen new and more reliable methods of research emerge, in which vast tracts of data from previous projects are being correlated and analysed.
In the latest instance researchers concluded that drinking above recommended alcohol limits was likely to be responsible for the majority of cancer cases linked to alcohol, although for some people even a small consumption may increase the risk.
They analysed data from eight European countries, involving more than 360,000 men and women who were aged between 35 and 70 at the beginning of the study.
The research is part of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer, one of the largest ever studies into the links between diet and cancer.
Some 17 per cent of bowel cancers in men were linked to drinking, as were 4 per cent of cases in women. And 5 per cent of cases of breast cancer in women were also linked to drinking, the study showed. Overall, more than 18 per cent of cancers in men were down to drinking more than 24g of alcohol a day. In women, 4 per cent of cancers were due to drinking more than 12g of alcohol daily.
Essentially, it's cancers of the cancers of the liver, female breast, bowel, and upper digestive tract which are involved, while alcohol also plays a role in the development of oral cancers, including cancer of the pharynx and larynx. In North Wales, there has been a significant rise in cases of pharyngeal cancers over the past few years.