Drinks industry said to be playing down links between alcohol and cancer

A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) said that the drinks industry had been publicly downplaying and misrepresenting links between alcohol and cancer in an effort to keep its profits intact.

According to the research report, alcohol companies and the responsible drinking groups they fund are ignoring the overwhelming evidence that drinking can cause cancer and then distorting the information when disseminating it consumers to confuse them.

Professor Mark Petticrew of the LSHTM said, "The alcohol industry appears to be engaged in the extensive misrepresentation of evidence about the alcohol-related risk of cancer. These activities have parallels with those of the tobacco industry," referring to their tactics as "denial, distortion, distraction."

The report analysed the accuracy of information contained on websites and publications from 26 drinks producers and industry bodies worldwide used to advise consumers about alcohol and its health effects, saying that many were guilty of manipulation of evidence, singling out the likes of the Portman Group and Drinkaware of systematic "denialism."

"It's extremely worrying that the UK public are not being given independent, honest information about the health risks associated with drinking," said Katherine Brown, chief executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies.

Out of 26 sources of material, 20 either did not discuss the alleged role alcohol played in causing breast cancer, or did so with inaccurate or misleading information included.

Despite more than 100 studies published since 2007 stating that even moderate amounts of alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer, the website of SAB Miller, UK division of global drinks giant Anheuser-Busch, "states inaccurately that there is no link between alcohol and most cancers except for 'mainly cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract' and the liver," according to the paper.

The Portman Group denied claims it had misrepresented the information, "It is vital that academic research and commentary about lifestyle risks is presented fairly, accurately and in context so that people can make rational and informed choices in their everyday lives," said its chief executive, John Timothy.

Chris Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, accused the report's authors of cherry-picking quotes to support their agenda, one that did not accurately reflect scientific evidence.

"This is a diatribe disguised as a study that seeks to create a false narrative in which businesses always lie and anti-alcohol campaigners always tell the truth," he said.

The Department of Health ignored the academics' calls to stop trusting alcohol bodies to inform the public about the cancer risks as the study itself showed distortion and omission of key facts.