Recently appointed president of the National League against Cancer, Axel Kahn has sounded the alarm about the dangers that, according to him, represent high alcoholic beers. He pleads for stricter regulations, or even for their prohibition.
They are called “Eagle”, “Cyclone” or “Mega Demon” and are enthroned among the other beers on the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores. Except that these drinks sold in the form of a can have alcohol levels well above the average: between 14% and 16.8%. That is the equivalent, for a 50 cl can, of an entire bottle of wine at 12.5% or 16.8 cl of a cognac at 40%.
Inadmissible for the geneticist Axel Kahn, new president of the League against Cancer. In an interview given to Parisian Monday, September 30, he accuses these very alcoholic drinks of being a “trap set for young people” points to the responsibility of the authorities who have so far taken no measures to reduce access to them.
Beers that particularly target young people
What is special about these drinks? “While the majority of beers weigh between 4.5% for white beers up to 7-8% for dark beers, these are beers weighing more than 12% and up to almost 17% It is a considerable source of alcohol”, explains Dr. Axel Kahn. The problem with these beers is also their accessibility. “They are sold in 500ml cans, sometimes for less than 3 euros. This is the reason why street people use this form of access to alcohol.”
According to the president of the League against Cancer, the responsibility is primarily that of the alcohol industry. These beers catch the eye of teenagers and young adults thanks to “their flashy packaging which borrows from the graphic universe of manga and video games”. “It’s a strategy that aims to make young people fall into alcoholism by letting them believe that it’s not serious because they’ve only had a beer, when it’s a strong dose of alcohol. alcohol which can be followed by addiction and all the complications linked to it, starting with cancer”, denounces the president of the League.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) alcohol is today in France the second preventable cause of cancer death (all cancers combined), just after tobacco. “Alcoholism is responsible in France for 41,000 deaths and 30,000 cancers, including 15,000 cancer deaths, including cancers of the mouth and throat, pancreas, esophagus, breast, colon , the rectum and of course the liver”, recalls Axel Kahn.
“A formidable trap for public health”
But the responsibility also lies, according to the geneticist, with the health authorities who have not hitherto taken stock of the extent of this problem, in particular among young people. “The problem with carcinogenic addictions such as tobacco, alcohol or obesity is that it is much easier not to fall into them than to get out of them. The more you attract young people to tobacco, strong alcohol or junk food, the more you risk that the adults they will become are predisposed to have cancers.And, therefore, the more it is a formidable trap for public health and a lack of protection of young people on the part of public authorities.”
What do Axel Kahn and the League Against Cancer recommend to put an end to this scourge? Among the tracks put forward, that of prohibiting the sale of beer not using traditional brewing processes or, at least, of prohibiting them from the name “beer”. Axel Kahn also recommends “very strongly increasing the tax according to the weight of alcohol so that these cans display a dissuasive price”, as is already the case with cigarette packs. “We also advise going towards the unmarked can as we do neutral cigarette packs. And finally, when these beers reach a certain degree of alcohol, to ban them completely”.
To discuss these possible measures, the League against Cancer has requested a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
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