The WHO criticizes a European Parliament resolution that “minimizes” the risk of cancer caused by alcohol.
What is the risk of serious illness from regular alcohol consumption? The World Health Organization’s (WHO) position on this issue is clear: any alcohol consumption is harmful to health, the UN agency said in a statement at the beginning of the year. The European Parliament’s most recent resolution on non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, lacks such clear wording.
Only the supposed “harmful consumption” appears on a list of risks alongside tobacco and unhealthy eating. The anger at the WHO is great. A letter to MPs on the Environment and Health Committee, cited by the Euractiv website, said: “The terms ‘moderate and responsible alcohol consumption’ or ‘harmful alcohol consumption’ are scientifically inaccurate and worrying in the context of cancer prevention.” it has only a recommendatory character for the EU legislative authority, the Commission.
However, WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, wants to see a worrying trend: “I have followed the implementation of the EU cancer control plan with increasing concern and have noticed that initially strong commitments in several documents have slowly been diluted, ”, he writes in the document cited by Euractiv.
Austria among the countries that drink the most
It was only on Tuesday that the current OECD report “Health at a Glance” demonstrated the desire of Europeans to drink: Austria is among the first placed – along with Estonia – with a per capita consumption of 11.1 liters of pure alcohol per year. Only Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Latvia drink more. The OECD average is 8.6 liters per capita.
With regard to the proportion of smokers, Austria is also above the OECD average (16%), at 21%. Life expectancy is still comparatively good at 81.3 years (about a year above the OECD average).