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Health Check: 'Misleading' Information from Drinks’ Industry Over Cancer and Alcohol

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13/09/2017 GMT

'Misleading' Information from Drinks’ Industry Over Cancer and Alcohol

BBC World Service - Health Check, 'Misleading' Information from Drinks’ Industry Over Cancer and Alcohol

Alcohol and cancer: new study points to drinks’ industry “misinformation”

Alcohol and cancer: new study points to drinks’ industry “misinformation”; why the number of HIV infections is rising in Chile; how squid ink could help spot gum disease

Drinking alcohol - particularly in large amounts - increases our risk of developing various conditions including cancer. Alcohol industry websites display information about those risks – but how much can we rely on them? An international team of public health experts has reviewed the information available – and found that it doesn’t always tell the whole story and sometimes key facts are distorted or left out.  Their analysis is published in the journal Drug And Alcohol Review, revealing findings the alcohol industry is not happy with.  

In most countries in Latin America, the number of people being diagnosed with HIV is dropping. But in Chile there’s been a 45% increase in new cases over the last five years. The vast majority of those are in the gay community, but others at risk include indigenous Mapuche people. 

A visit to the dentist and some Japanese food were the inspiration behind an idea which could improve our dental health. Healthy gums cling to our teeth – but with gum disease, a pocket can form around the tooth. A thin tool is used to measure this “pocket”. But monitoring the health of our gums could be less invasive, by detecting the light-absorbing properties of squid ink using ultrasound. 

(Photo: Woman holding a bottle. Credit: Getty Images)

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