We cling tightly to the studies that say the odd glass of red is healthy, reminding us how it’s packed with polyphenols and brings down your stress levels to boot. But in April, the World Cancer Research Fund ruled that women should be avoiding alcohol just as strenuously as cigarettes as “any amount of alcohol increases breast cancer risk”. With the average British woman drinking nine units of alcohol each week, this is bad news.

These days we cringe when we see characters in old movies pull out the cigarettes at the first hint of drama. It might have been normal decades ago, but we have come to see smoking as a habit that’s uniquely bad for our health. Now, scientists believe that our favourite national pastime could be just as dangerous, for women at least. Here is what we know and h

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