Drinkaware letter to The Guardian in response to the article ‘Drinks industry downplaying alcohol-cancer link’
Drinkaware letter to The Guardian in response to the article ‘Drinks industry downplaying alcohol-cancer link’, published Friday 8 September 2017, in The Guardian.
Sir
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s report covered in your article ‘Drinks industry downplaying alcohol-cancer link’ (Friday 8th September), contains serious allegations about the quality and purpose of the information that Drinkaware provides on cancer and alcohol which we entirely reject.
Our website information about alcohol and cancer has been approved in its entirety by Drinkaware’s independent Medical Advisory Panel made up of senior medical and clinical professionals.
The overwhelming medical consensus is that there are many risk factors involved with cancer including alcohol and our information and advice reflects this. The website also leaves people in no doubt as to the links that do exist between alcohol and cancer.
The report’s allegations around our breast cancer information are based on a highly selective and partisan reading of the website. Drinkaware has consistently stressed the link between alcohol and breast cancer and the importance of increasing public awareness of the issue.
Cancer affects millions of people worldwide and, in our view, a failure to discuss all of its contributory risk factors would be grossly irresponsible.
Sir Leigh Lewis
Chair of the Drinkaware Trust
Professor Paul Wallace
Chief Medical Advisor
Drinkaware