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 Drinks industry organizations often present the relationship between
alcohol and cancer as highly complex, implying there is no clear
evidence of a consistent link, said the study led by scientists at
the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and
Sweden's Karolinska Institutet.
Other strategies include denying any relationship exists, or saying
inaccurately that there is no risk with moderate drinking, the study
found. The industry also seeks to mention a wide range of other real
and potential cancer risk factors in an effort to present alcohol as
just one of many, it added.
Responding to the study, the Distilled Spirits Council, a U.S.
alcohol trade association, said it was "a highly selective" review
authored by researchers with "anti-alcohol biases".
"The Council does not recommend that people drink alcohol for
potential health benefits," it said in a statement. "Drinking in
moderation may pose health risks for some people, and some
individuals should not drink at all."
The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, which
represents large brewers and distillers including Anheuser-Busch
InBev and Diageo , said it disagreed with the study's conclusions.
"We ... stand by the information that we publish on drinking and
health," it said.
RISING RISK
The World Health Organization says drinking alcohol is a
well-established risk factor for a range of cancers, including
tumors of the mouth, liver, breast and colon and bowel. And the risk
of cancer rises with levels of alcohol consumed.
The research team behind Thursday's study analyzed the information
relating to cancer on the websites and documents of nearly 30
alcohol industry organizations around the world between September
2016 and December 2016.
"The weight of scientific evidence is clear - drinking alcohol
increases the risk of some of the most common forms of cancer," said
Mark Petticrew, a professor of public Health at the LSHTM who co-led
the study.
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"It has been argued that greater public awareness, particularly of
the risk of breast cancer, poses a significant threat to the alcohol
industry. Our analysis suggests that the major global alcohol
producers may attempt to mitigate this by disseminating misleading
information."
Petticrew's team identified three main industry strategies: Denying
any link with cancer, or selective omission of the relationship;
distortion by mentioning some risk of cancer, but misrepresenting or
obfuscating its size; and distraction by seeking to draw focus away
from the risks of alcohol and towards other cancer risks.
One of the most significant findings was that industry materials
omitted or misrepresented evidence on breast and bowel cancer, both
of which are linked to drinking. When breast cancer was mentioned,
21 of the organizations studied gave no, or misleading, information
about it, the study said.
Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said the study
"clearly shows the alcohol industry misleading the public".
"With only 1 in 10 people aware of the link between alcohol and
cancer, people have both a need and a right to clear information
about the health risks of drinking alcohol."
Petticrew said the study's findings, published in the journal Drug
and Alcohol Review on Thursday, were important partly because the
alcohol industry is often involved in spreading health information
to people around the world.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Additional reporting by Martinne Geller;
Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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