Associazione Italiana dei Club degli Alcolisti in Trattamento

Sito realizzato anche

con il contributo di:

U.S. Gov. “Nono Rapporto sui Cancerogeni, 2000” 

a cura di Marco Variara

    Il Governo degli Stati Uniti nell'ultimo rapporto governativo sulle cause principali del cancro, scientificamente accertate,  aggiunge alla lista degli agenti cancerogeni  l’alcol (consumato come vino, birra, ecc.), nella lista degli agenti cancerogeni vengono aggiunti anche altre 13 sostanze, compreso il fumo di tabacco. 

Maggio 16, 2000 

Tabella sintetica estratta dal 9° Rapporto sulle Sostanze Cancerogene U.S.A.:

Testo originale:

KNOWN TO BE A HUMAN CARCINOGEN "NINTH REPORT ON CARCINOGENS 2000"

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION *

* There is no separate CAS registry number assigned to alcoholic beverages.

First listed in the Ninth Report on Carcinogens

CARCINOGENICITY

Consumption o alcoholic beverages is known to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from human studies that indicate a causal relationship between consumption of alcoholic beverages and cancer in humans (reviewed in IARC V.44 1988; Longnecker and Enger 1996). Studies indicate that the risk of cancer is most pronounced among smokers and at the highest levels of consumption.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is causally related to cancers of the mouth pharynx larynx and esophagus. Cohort and case control studies in a variety of human populations are notable for their consistency in reporting the presence of moderate to strong associations with dose-response relationships for these four sites. Evidence also supports a weaker but possibly causal relation between alcoholic beverage consumption and increased risk of cancers of the liver and breast (Longnecker 1994). The effect of a given level of alcoholic beverage intake on absolute risks of cancer of the mouth pharynx larynx and esophagus is in luenced by other actors especially smoking. However smoking does not explain the observed increased risk of cancers associated with increased alcoholic beverage consumption.

No adequate experimental animal carcinogenicity studies of alcoholic beverages have been reported in the literature. Studies speci ically examining the carcinogenicity of ethanol in animals have not yielded results that would suggest that the ethanol component of alcoholic beverages is solely responsible or the increases in cancer observed in people consuming alcoholic beverages.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELEVANT TO CARCINOGENESIS OR POSSIBLE

MECHANISMS OF CARCINOGENESIS

Increased requencies of chromosomal aberrations sister chromatid exchanges and aneuploidies have been ound in the peripheral lymphocytes of alcoholics. Ethanol- ree extracts of some alcoholic beverages induced sister chromatid exchanges in human cells in vitro and mutations in bacteria (IARC V.44 1988).

The mechanism by which consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause cancers in humans is not established.

PROPERTIES

Ethanol and water are the main constituents of most alcoholic beverages. The amount o ethanol consumed in a standard measure of most drinks is similar or beer wine and spirits (10-14 g). The ethanol in these beverages comes rom the fermentation of carbohydrates by yeast.

Although ethanol can be chemically synthesized rom ethylene alcohol synthesis for use in beverages is not employed by the alcoholic beverage industry because of the presence of impurities from the synthetic process (IARC V.44 1988).

Beer wine and spirits also contain volatile and nonvolatile lavor compounds that originate rom raw materials ermentation wooden casks used for maturation and synthetic substances added to specially lavored beverages. The exact composition of many beverages is con idential business in ormation though much published data de ines the organic compounds usually present at low levels. Several of the components and contaminants identified in beer wine and spirits are known or suspected human carcinogens including acetaldehyde nitrosamines a latoxins ethyl carbamate (urethan) asbestos and arsenic compounds (IARC V.44 1988; NTP 1998).

USE

The IARC monograph described in detail the use of alcoholic beverages. Consumption trends including overall level of alcohol consumption beverage choice age and sex differences and temporal variations differ among and within societies. Patterns of alcohol consumption have been observed to vary on a global scale largely independent of regional di differences or economic and social changes (IARC V.44 1988).

A downward trend in alcohol consumption was observed in the United States and many European countries rom the turn of the twentieth century until the period between the world wars. Alcohol consumption then increased approaching the peak levels of the nineteenth century until the 1970s and 1980s when consumption rates slowed leveled off, or, for the United States decreased (NIAAA 1997).

Alcohol consumption in the United States increased from the 1940s until the early 1980s then began to decrease steadily; by 1993 consumption had declined to the lowest level since 1964. Per capita consumption figures were derived by estimating total alcohol use based on sales and shipment data fo the U.S. population aged 14-years for older. Apparent per capita consumption expressed in gallons of pure alcohol was 1.6 in 1940 ~2.2 in 1964 and 1993 and ~2.8 ca. 1980 (NIAAA 1997).

A 1990 National Alcohol Survey gathered data regarding the demographic distribution of drinking patterns in the United States (Midanik and Clark 1994). Respondents were classified as current drinkers (any use of alcohol beverages in the preceding year) weekly drinkers (any alcoholic beverage use at least weekly during the preceding year) and drinkers of  five or more drinks (drinking ive or more drinks on one occasion weekly or more of ten during the preceding year). Of the men surveyed 71.2% were current drinkers 40.0% were weekly drinkers and 6.5% were in the ive drinks group. In the group reporting the highest alcohol consumption men aged 18-29 76.5% were current drinkers 44.4% were weekly drinkers and 11.0% were in the ive drinks group. The same age group reported the highest consumption among women: 69.7% were current drinkers 19.7% were weekly drinkers and 3.0% were in the ive drinks group.

When data rom all age groups of women were combined 59.4% were current drinkers 18.8% were weekly drinkers and 1.4% were in the ive drinks group. These igures all represent decreases in alcohol consumption as measured by a similar survey conducted in 1984.

Respondents were grouped by ethnicity and religious affiliation. The survey ound no statistically significant di differences in alcohol use among ethnic groups but conservative Protestants reported signi icantly lower alcohol consumption in all three categories (Midanik and Clark 1994).

Per capita consumption of wine and beer in the United States was relatively stable over the period beginning in the early 1980s and continuing into the 1990s when overall alcohol consumption was falling (Williams et al. 1995; cited by NIAAA 1997). Most of the decrease in U. S. alcohol consumption can be attributed to decreased consumption of spirits. Though wine has made much less of a contribution to the total volume of U.S. alcohol consumption than beer

or spirits per capita consumption of wine was the same in 1993 as it was in 1977 while consumption of spirits ell by almost 35% over the same period. Per capita consumption of beer decreased from 1981 to 1985 fluctuated thereafter and in 1993 was 1% below 1977 consumption levels (NIAAA 1997).

PRODUCTION

All alcoholic beverages are produced by the ermentation of ruit or other vegetable matter. Most commercial and home production involves fermented beverages that are classified based on raw materials and production methods used as beer wine or spirits although smaller quantities of other kinds of fermented beverages (cider, rice, wine, palm wine, etc.) are also produced. Beer is produced by fermentation of malted barley or other cereals with the addition of hops. Wine is made from fermentation of grape juice or crushed grapes; fortified wines include additional distilled spirits. Distilled spirits so named because of liquid distillation a tersugar ermentation to increase the alcohol content originate rom sources of starch or sugar including cereals molasses from sugar beets grapes potatoes cherries plums and other fruits

(IARC V.44 1988).

In 1990 American wine production was 4 520 thousand Mg beer production was 374 529 thousand hectoliters and spirit production was 18 454 thousand hectoliters (ARF 1994). World total production of the same beverages was 29 010 thousand Mg 1 088 742thousand hectoliters and 57 756 thousand hectoliters respectively.

REGULATIONS

A March 1999 search of the most recent editions of the Cod of Federal Regulations found no regulations requiring warnings on alcoholic beverage labels of an increased risk of cancer due to alcoholic beverage consumption. (Labels on saccharin-containing wines distilled spirits and malt beverages however must warn of a cancer risk from saccharin consumption [27CFR 4.32 5.32 and 7.22 respectively en orced by the BATF (Bureau o Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms) Department o the Treasury]).FDA regulates health claims information on food labels. Thus labels on low at foods may make the health claim that diets low in fat "may" or "might" reduce the risk of some cancers with several provisions (21 CFR 100.73 Health claims: dietary lipids and cancer). Optional information allowed includes identification of risk factors for development of cancer. Alcohol consumption is one of the risk actors that FDA lists. The same optional information may be added to labels stating there is a reduced risk of cancer for diets high in iber-containing grain products fruits, and vegetables (21 CFR 101.76 21 CFR 101.78).

per ulteriori informazioni visitare il sito Governativo:

 http://The 9th Report on Carcinogens

 KNOWN TO BE A HUMAN CARCINOGEN "NINTH REPORT ON CARCINOGENS 2000"

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Aggiornato il 07-05-08

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