Even a little amount of Alcohol causes cancer

There are some clear evidences that drinking a little amount of alcohol increase the probability of infection by cancer, let us read…

Before we go through this interesting article we have to mention that for many years, western women were looking at the alcoholic products as a source of happiness and an effective way to eliminate worry.

But 1400 years ago, prophet Mohamed peace be upon him talked about the dangerouseffect of drinking alcohol and ordered people to be away from alcohol as he said in many situations:

“It is forbidden to drink even a small amount of alcohol”.

“Alcohol is a diseases and not a cure”.

“Allah Almighty put the curse on the one who drinksalcohol”

And there are many otherHadiths concerning that issue.

A moderate amount of Alcohol is associated with the risk of Cancer

A recent study confirms that women who drink as little as one alcoholic beverage a day -- be it beer, wine, or hard liquor -- have a significantly higher cancer risk than women who don't drink at all.

Even a small amount of alcohol is forbidden according to the principles of Islam

Researchers followed more than 1.2 million middle-aged women for an average of seven years. The women were participants in the ongoing Million Women Study in the U.K.

Those who drank alcohol consumed on average one drink a day. But compared to teetotalers, these women had a higher overall cancer risk, especially for cancers of the breast, liver, rectum, mouth, throat, and esophagus.

A large body of evidence consistently shows that consumption of alcohol is a risk factor for cancer. Drinking alcohol increases the risk of mouth & throat cancer (larynx and pharynx), oesophagal cancer, bowel cancer (colon and rectum), liver cancer and female breast cancer.

Based on their findings, the researchers estimated that alcohol could be to blame for 13% of these cancers in women.

The link between alcohol and breast cancer has been extensively researched and reported on, but the study is among the first to link low-to-moderate Alcohol consumption to other cancers in women. “There were no minimum levels of alcohol consumption that could be considered to be without risk," said cancer epidemiologist and study researcher Naomi Allen, DPhil, of the University of Oxford.

Dr Naomi E Allen, the researcher who participated in the Million Women Study with a keen interest in the association of alcohol intake and subsequent cancer risk.

Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Most of the excess cases were breast cancers. Allen and colleagues concluded that as many as 11% of breast cancers can be attributed to alcohol consumption and before, about 250,000 women were diagnosed with invasive and non-invasive breast cancers in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.

The study also shows that women who drank only wine had the same risk for developing cancer as those who drank beer, spirits, or a combination of alcoholic beverages. Also the study found that Less than 2% of the women in the study regularly consumed more than three drinks a day, but each additional drink increased risk.

Also, the French Health Ministry putalcohol as one of the chief villains in a drive against cancer.

"The consumption of alcohol, and especially wine, is discouraged," say guidelines drawn from the findings of the National Cancer Institute.

A single glass of wine a day will raise the chance of contracting cancer by up to 168 percent, claims the ministry's brochure.

Alcohol and smoking

The said study illustrated that women who smoked and drank alcohol had an increased risk of oral, throat, andesophageal cancer that was greater than the risk associated with smoking alone.

Researchers in the study found that smoking and alcohol together increases the danger of cancer

No Safe Level of Alcohol for men or women

According to the study, Allen says that the findings cannot be extrapolated to men, because they were not included in the study. Most of the research on alcohol and cancer in men has been limited to heavy drinkers, but Allen says it is likely that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption increases cancer risk in men as well as women.

"There is no level of alcohol consumption that can be considered safe."

Noted cardiologist Michael S. Lauer, MD, and cardiovascular epidemiologist Paul Sorlie, PhD, of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Michael S. LauerPaul Sorlie

“It might be reasonable to suspect that many women in the lay public who are asking physicians about any possible safe effects of alcohol are middle-aged: for this large group, the only reasonable recommendation we can make is that there is no clear evidence that alcohol has medical benefits," says Lauer and Sorlie

Breast cancer and olive oil

Researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain have found potential benefits of olive oil on breast cancer tumors.Previous research has demonstrated environmental factors' influence on breast cancer, showing that a diet high in fats is directly related to the disease. But some fats have also been shown to protect individuals from developing malignant tumors. This is the case with olive oil, which is rich in the monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid, and contains antioxidants.

Consuming olive oil moderately is often associated with a lower prevalence of certain types of cancer and coronary diseases.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Carcinogenesis, analyzed the mechanisms behind olive oil's effects on tumor cells compared to corn oil, which contains n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, by feeding animals a diet high in these types of fats.

A microscopic photo for a cancer breast cell while dividing , scientists believe that alcohol accelerates the process of dividing but drinking olive oil decelerate this process, glory to Allah who forbids Alcohol and encourages us to drink olive oil

Allah almighty says about the olive that it is a blessed tree by saying :(Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as (if there were) a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp is in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive){Sûrat An-Nûr-The Light -verse35},also He Almighty swears by the olive by saying: (By the fig, and the olive,){Sûrat At-Tîn-The Fig –verse1}

According to the study the researchers have found that olive oil slowed the growth of tumors by decreasing the activity of the oncogene p21Ras -- the gene that drives uncontrollable cell production and stimulates tumor growth -- and restraining the activity of specificproteins vital to the survival of tumor cells. These proteins stop apoptosis or the cell's "suicide" mechanism. They also found that olive oil prevented DNA damage within the cells.

"All these molecular pathways are very important in cancer development," said Dr. Eduard Escrich, from the University of Barcelona's School of Medicine and one of the study's researchers.

The researchers found that corn oil, on the other hand, stimulated the growth of tumor cells and increased their aggressiveness.

Alcohol and depression

A new study linked between drinking alcohol and depression in women more than men.

US and Canadian researchers quizzed 6,009 men and 8,054 women about alcohol intake and their history of depression.They found women who were drinkers were more likely to be clinically depressed than men.

The researchers believe that could be because women suffering major depression drink as a way out of their problems.

Researchers have found a clear link between Alcohol and depression especially in women

Professor Sharon Wilsnack, from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, said: "This pattern of associations is more consistent with women using alcohol to counteract depression - by high-quantity drinking and intoxication - than with chronic alcohol consumption tending to make women depressed."However, a vicious circle could possibly begin with drinking in response to depression." She added.

The long term effects of Alcohol

After years of researching and studying, scientists found many dangerous effects of Alcohol on the entire body. The diagram in below illustrates these effects:

Prohibition of alcohol in non-Muslimsocieties

In 2004, British authorities decided to targeting young drinkers as ministers began moves to ban the advertising of alcohol as they believe that the misuseof which is costing Britain £20bn a year.

The National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, drawn up by the Prime Minister's strategy unit and health ministers, also recommended the extension of existing laws so that police can ban under-age drinkers from town centers and issue them with on-the-spot fines.

Government figures reveal that 20 per cent of men and 8 per cent of women binge-drink, consuming more than eight units for a man and six units for a woman, at least once a week. By the age of 13, drinkers outnumber children who abstain. Over half of 14- and 15-year-olds drink each week.

In United States of America, the National prohibition of alcohol (1920-33)--the "noble experiment"--was undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses, and improve health and hygiene. The results of that experiment clearly indicate that it was a miserable failure on all counts.

In France, the national assembly voted to ban so-called "open bars" which offer unlimited drinks for a fixed entry price. It raised the minimum age at which a person can buy alcohol and cigarettes from 16 to 18 in line with most of Europe, and banned the sale of alcohol at service stations between 6pm and 8am - thought to be a prime source of drinks for young people.

The law allows mayors to ban takeaway sales of alcohol in their areas between 8pm and 8am.

In Italy, the city of Milan has banned the consumption and sale of alcohol to young teenagers in an effort to curb binge-drinking so that Parents of children under the age of 16 caught drinking wine or spirits will be liable to heavy fines of up to 500 Euros.People in the country where for centuries wine has been part of local culture believe that prohibition would be unthinkable as the ban has come as a shock.

But the authorities are deeply concerned about the increase in consumption of alcohol by children as young as 11 in the country's industrial and financial capital.

Alcohol in Islam

In the previous paragraph, we see how the issue of prohibiting alcohol is as confusing to governments as they don’t have the ability or the power to force people to be away from alcohol because of its known dangers and causes of deadly diseases and accidents.

But, according to the principles of Islam Muslims whether they aremen or women at any age should not drink alcohol and no one has an excuse from that as Allah Almighty warns us from alcohol by saying: (Shaitan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from As-Salat (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?) {Sûrat Al-Mâ’idah -The Table spread with Food -verse91}

Throughout Europe, America and all western countries where drinking alcohol is allowed, we can see hundreds of fights in bars, stadiums and streets where people are drinking alcohol and the reason behind these fights may be naïve.

Also, Allah Almighty Doesn’t wants us only not to drink alcohol but also to avoid sitting in any place where other people are drinking as He Almighty says :( O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, Al-Ansab , and Al-Azlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaitan's (Satan) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.) {Sûrat Al-Mâ’idah -The Table spread with Food -verse90}.

Muslims are not allowed to sit in a place where people are drinking alcohol

Conclusion

Finally we have to draw your attention that 1400 years ago, the holy Qur’an told us about what is in these new researches and studies concerning the non -usefulness of drinking alcohol in opposite to all wrong thoughts which lasted for many years to marketthe idea of the usefulness of alcohol as all recent scientists and physicians confirmed on the severe dangerous of drinking alcohol for human’s health and for the stability of societies, so we have to obey thisstrict order by Allah Almighty who says : (They ask you (O Muhammad ) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: (In them is a great sin and (some) benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.){Sûrat Al-Baqarah-The Cow -verse219}.

Thanks Allah for the blessing of Islam

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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

www.kaheel7.com/eng

References:

· http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=98030

· http://www.google.com.eg/imgres?imgurl=http://www.epi.umn.edu/cvdepi/images/PaulSorlie.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.epi.umn.edu/cvdepi/bio.asp%3Fid%3D194&usg=__u4MeyJX0-Z31Q_oGmr2W9ODvxjs=&h=224&w=171&sz=27&hl=ar&start=2&zoom=0&itbs=1&tbnid=3W7bmRXjJNU2wM:&tbnh=108&tbnw=82&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcardiovascular%2Bepidemiologist%2BPaul%2BSorlie,%2BPhD%26hl%3Dar%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

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· http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/101/5/281.2

· http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/07/01/virgin-olive-oil-may-protect-against-breast-cancer/

· http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/

· http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6228981.stm