A new global study has shown that people who consume large quantities of alcohol (seven drinks per week) have a 60 percent greater risk of developing the cancer, compared to others.

Rachel Huxley, professor at The George Institute, who led the study, said the most startling finding was "the strong, and largely, unknown association between high intakes of alcoholic beverages with risk of colorectal (bowel) cancer."

`Most people probably know that being overweight and having poor dietary habits are risk factors for the disease, but most are probably unaware that other lifestyle risk factors such as alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and diabetes are also important culprits,` she added.

Smoking, obesity and diabetes were also associated with a 20 percent greater risk of developing bowel cancer - the same risk linked with consuming high intake of red and processed meat.

One million new cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed worldwide every year. The disease claims more than half of them.

According to a George Institute release, Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council recommends individuals should not be drinking more than two standard drinks per day.

On a positive note, researchers also demonstrated that physical activity lowered an individual`s risk of the disease but surprisingly, there was little evidence to indicate that high intakes of fruit and vegetables protected from bowel cancer.

Source: IANS