Doctors are chancers.

According to the Independent ...

'Drinking alcohol, even in moderation - such as a large glass of wine or a pint of beer a day - can increase the risk of bowel cancer by 10pc, a Europe-wide study has found.

It found that drinking up to two pints a day or about two large glasses of wine can increase the risk by up to a quarter.

But Dr David Fennelly, consultant oncologist at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, said family history remained a much more significant factor.

He said drinking in moderation "makes sense" but it was very difficult to link a reduction in alcohol intake with a decrease in the number of cases of bowel cancer.

Ireland has a relatively high level of bowel cancer, with more than 2,700 new cases of the disease diagnosed, north and south, every year. As many as 1,500 people die of it annually.

On average it is estimated to strike one in 20 men and one in 18 women.

The study questioned almost 480,000 people across 10 European countries about their drinking habits as part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, funded by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and other European agencies.

The findings, published online by the International Journal of Cancer, found that people who drank 15 grams of alcohol a day had about a 10pc increased risk of the disease.

Those who drank over 30 grams of alcohol increased their risk by about 25pc.

All the participants in the study were followed up for six years.

During that period, 1,833 people developed bowel cancer."

Eh? Wasn't there a report out last year that said drinking moderately and daily helps a body?

here, take a gander at the following...

"The French scientist who showed the world that wine is good for the heart has a new discovery: two to three glasses of wine a day reduces death rates from all ailments by up to 30 percent.

"I've always suspected this," said Dr. Serge Renaud, whose findings appeared in the journal Epidemiology . "Wine protects not only against heart disease but also most cancers."

Renaud's study of 34,000 middle-aged men living in eastern France supports what has become known as "the French paradox": Frenchmen who eat lots of saturated fat but still live a long time.

Results were the same for smokers, nonsmokers and former smokers, he said, and there were no differences between white collar and blue collar drinkers.

Recent studies in the United States found that a drink of almost any type of alcohol can lower death rates by reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease."

And then Science Daily adds..'Gabriella Gazzani and colleagues in Italy point out that previous studies suggested that moderate wine consumption has health benefits after reaching the stomach and digestion -- in protecting against heart disease and cancer. In addition, wine's antibacterial activity has been recognized since antiquity, when wine was used to treat infected wounds. Until now, however, scientists had not investigated whether wine could combat harmful oral bacteria, the researchers said.

Their study showed that red and white wine were effective in controlling the growth of several strains of streptococci bacteria that are involved in tooth decay, and some cases of sore throat. "Overall, our findings seem to indicate that wine can act as an effective antimicrobial agent against the tested pathogenic oral streptococci and might be active in caries and upper respiratory tract pathologies prevention," the study states, noting that tests now are underway to determine wine's effects on those diseases in humans.'

I'm just back from Valencia, where old folk are as plentiful as pigeons. They mill about, suck on cigars and drink wine with most meals and seem to live forever. The streets are positively teaming with short healthy looking old folk. Go for stroll around eight in the evening and there they are, vast groups of them, sitting around cafés, dosing themselves in beer and Bitter Kas. Robust I tell you. They walk a lot too. And eat more fish and less processed food. Gee, I wonder is there a connection.
I'm sick of these reports anyway. Butter is bad for you, salt is bad for you, diet drinks are bad for you...urgh.
Shove it up yer Ronson doctors, I'm going to go with the oldies on this one. A little bit of this and that and whatever your having yourself is the only way to live.