Survey reveal that two glasses of wine a day increase chances of bowel cancer by 21%

Just two glasses of wine a day can increase your chances of bowel cancer by as much as 21 per cent, new research warns. Indulging in two glasses of tipple a day increases the risk of colorectal and oesophagal cancer by a fifth, according to a new study.

And those who have more than four alcoholic drinks a day are putting themselves at a higher risk of pancreatic, liver and gastric cancer. The warning comes as researchers reveal that the average Briton gets through 2.1 alcoholic drinks every day.

Colorectal, pancreatic and liver cancer cause almost three million deaths per year and contribute to more than a third of global cancer deaths. Report  revealed that all Europeans are ‘moderate’ drinkers – meaning they have between one and four alcoholic drinks every day.

Britons get through 2.1 alcoholic drinks a day, which is above the European average of 1.9, the report revealed.

Moderate drinkers are 21 per cent more likely to suffer from bowel or oesophagal cancer, the research found. Alcohol consumption across Europe is higher than in any other region in the world, with more than one fifth of those aged over 15 drinking heavily at least once a week.

As a result, the continent suffers from the highest proportion of ill health and premature death directly linked to alcohol. Despite high levels of consumption throughout Europe, research shows that as many as 90 per cent of people are unaware on the link between alcohol and cancer.

Professor Markus Peck, from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, said: ‘One of the main challenges in addressing high drinking levels is how deeply embedded alcohol consumption is within the European society, both socially and culturally.

‘Political action like minimum pricing and reducing access to alcohol needs to be taken now to prevent many future casualties.

‘Research then has to follow to help generate data and allow us to fine-tune future political activity’.