BMJ reports that new guidelines from all four UK chief medical officers warn that drinking any level of alcohol raises the risk of a range of cancers. An expert advisory group examined the evidence from 44 systematic reviews and meta-analyses published since a 1995 report and concluded that there was strong evidence that the risk of a range of cancers, particularly breast cancer, increased directly in line with consumption of any amount of alcohol. Another recent report from the UK Committee on Carcinogenicity said that between 4% and 6% of all new cancers in the UK in 2013 were caused by alcohol consumption.
Purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages in Mexico decline after tax
A new study in BMJ assessing the impact of Mexico’s tax on sugar-sweetened beverages found that purchases of taxed beverages decreased by an average of 6% and decreased at an increasing rate up to a 12% decline by December 2014. All three socioeconomic groups reduced purchases of taxed beverages, but reductions were higher among the households of low socioeconomic status, averaging a 9% decline during 2014, and up to a 17% decrease by December 2014 compared with pretax trends. Purchases of untaxed beverages were 4% higher than before 2014 mainly driven by an increase in purchases of bottled plain water.
[photo: A poster from the campaign for Mexico’s sugar tax. Message says: “With the soda tax, water fountains in schools and public places.”]
Corporations and Health Watch 