Not enough women know about the role alcohol can play in causing breast cancer, a study has suggested.
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that out of 205 women surveyed, only 40 (19.5 per cent) identified alcohol as a risk factor.
Some 33 NHS workers were also interviewed, and just 16 (48.5 per cent) pointed out the threat of alcohol.
Cancer Research UK guidelines say alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer, with the threat increasing with each extra unit per day.
Emma Shields, health information manager at the charity, told the Standard: "It's worrying as the figures are very low. And though it was a small number of people in the study, it does correlate with other research on this.
"It's a concern as cutting down on alcohol is a major factor in reducing breast cancer."
She added: "We want to raise awareness of all the things people can do to reduce the risk, including not smoking and having a healthy weight."
Both men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week.
This is the equivalent of six pints of 4 per cent beer or six glasses of 13 per cent wine.
