Health

Why The UK Wants You To Cut Back On The Booze (All Of It)

The U.K. changed its recommendation on how much alcohol you should consume after findings from a new cancer study were published.

Why The UK Wants You To Cut Back On The Booze (All Of It)
Getty Images / Jeff J Mitchell
SMS

You might want to cut back on drinking — at least that's what medical officials in the U.K are saying. The country's chief medical officer just issued new guidelines for alcohol consumption.

Those guidelines suggest consuming no more than a drink a day. The new recommendations are based on research that says any amount of alcohol consumption can increase cancer risk.

According to Cancer Research U.K., it doesn't matter if you drink a lot at once or just a little over time; no amount of alcohol is completely "safe." In fact, 4 percent of cancer cases are related to alcohol use each year in the U.K.

Alcohol consumption has been linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and breasts. 

But, according to the new guidelines, the risk is less for people who drink within government guidelines.

And if you were holding onto that whole thing about drinking small amounts can help lower risk for heart disease — sorry — but the new guidelines say that's no longer the case for men. Women over 55 however? Go grab a small glass of wine.

This video includes images from Getty Images.