(WHDH) — A new study found that drinking a bottle of wine per week is equivalent to smoking as many as 10 cigarettes.
BMC Public Health published a study Thursday which explained researchers in the United Kingdom determined that indulging in one bottle of wine each week has the same effect as a man smoking five cigarettes and a woman smoking 10 cigarettes.
“Gender differences result from levels of moderate drinking leading to a 0.8% absolute risk of breast cancer in female non-smokers,” the study said.
Researchers say the aim of this study was to estimate the increase in absolute risk of developing cancer as a result of drinking moderate levels of alcohol in men and women and compare it to the increase in absolute risk of developing cancer secondary to smoking.
Tobacco use is said to account for seven million deaths per year globally, with smoking being responsible for 22 percent of cancer deaths.
Each year about 3.3 million deaths are said to occur due to the harmful use of alcohol. All known alcohol-related cancers have been shown to have a modest but increased relative risk of incidence at moderate levels of drinking, according to researchers.
Researchers say they hope the study can serve as a reminder that even moderate alcohol use can promote cancer.
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