New study about cancer risks compares drinking wine to smoking cigarettes

A new study about cancer risks compares the effect of drinking one bottle of wine a week to smoking five or 10 cigarettes per week.

The study by researchers in the United Kingdom and published in the journal BMC Public Health aimed to look at the increase in absolute risk of cancer attributed to moderate levels of alcohol, and compare those to the absolute risk of cancer attributed to low levels of smoking.

The results of the study showed that one bottle of wine per week was associated with an increased absolute lifetime cancer risk for non-smokers of one percent in men and 1.4 percent in women.

The authors wrote that the results are equal to five cigarettes per week for men, or 10 cigarettes per week for women.

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The study's conclusion said "one bottle of wine per week is associated with an increased absolute lifetime risk of alcohol-related cancers in women, driven by breast cancer, equivalent to the increased absolute cancer risk associated with ten cigarettes per week."

"These findings can help communicate that moderate levels of drinking are an important public health risk for women," the study said. "The risks for men, equivalent to five cigarettes per week, are also of note."

Correction: 
A previous version of this story incorrectly said the study was published by the Boston Medical Center. It was published in the journal BMC Public Health.

Cox Media Group