Dr. Henk FJ Hendriks

Dr. Henk FJ Hendriks

As a nutrition researcher, I have been involved in many clinical trials studying the effects of moderate beer consumption on health of men and women of various ages. It was a surprise to see that basically all effects that we have studied were affected in a positive way, in other words consistent with positive health. Our intervention research was supportive of the immense epidemiologcal evidence that one or two beers a day fit in a healthy lifestyle. Whereas heavy drinking is unhealthy, moderate beer drinking helps prevent, amongst others, metabolic diseases like coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus type 2. I believe it is important to share this knowledge, as is done throught the Beer & Health initiative, so that consumers can make a science-based decision on their lifestyle behaviors.

Abstract

What about cancer risk and alcohol consumption?

Cancer is a leading cause of death in the Western world. A lot of attention is focused on risk factors for cancer, since a considerable portion of the overall cancer incidence may be caused by life style. Also, excessive alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk for specific cancers.

In this presentation an overview will be presented on the relation between alcohol consumption, both when consumed in excess and in moderation, and the risk for specific types of cancer. Also, other life style risk factors will be discussed and the classification for carcinogenicity of substances will be presented. Furthermore, an estimate of the overall contribution of alcohol consumption, both in moderation and in excess, will be presented.