Women who consume even small amounts of alcohol may have an increased risk of developing some types of cancer, a new study has found.

Light to moderate drinking may also increase the risk of some cancers in male smokers, the findings suggest.

It is already known that heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers, however the link between light to moderate drinking and cancer is largely unknown.

US researchers decided to look into this further. They analysed the data from two large studies that monitored the health of over 88,000 women and almost 48,000 men over a 30-year period.

They assessed the risk of cancer overall, as well as specific cancers which are known to be related to alcohol use, such as breast cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer and cancer of the oesophagus.

Light to moderate drinking was defined as 15g of alcohol per day for women, which is one standard drink, and up to 30g per day for men, or two standard drinks.

One standard drink was equivalent to a 355ml bottle of beer or a small glass of wine (118ml).

When it came to light to moderate drinkers, the study found an increased risk of alcohol-related cancers among men who had ever smoked, but not among male non-smokers. However, the risk of alcohol-related cancers was increased in all women, whether they smoked or not.

This risk increased even if they were only consuming one alcoholic drink per day.

Responding to the findings, Prof Frank Murray, a liver specialist at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, reminded people that there is ‘no safe level of alcohol consumption'.

"A substantial number of people in Ireland drink in a way that is harmful to their health. The public should be aware that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption and people should never drink because they believe there is a health gain from alcohol.

"Alcohol consumption is associated with seven types of cancers including breast cancer in women as well as of the liver, oesophagus, and the colon. Consuming alcohol in a low-risk way, such as drinking one unit a day, increases the risk of getting cancer, a disease that is increasingly prevalent in our society and which is incurable in many cases," he commented.

Details of these findings are published in the British Medical Journal.