MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) is one with the Hepatology Society of the Philippines and the World Health Organization (WHO) in saying that "there is no safe level" of alcohol drinking.

DOH Asec. Albert Domingo stressed that the amount of alcohol does not matter, as he encouraged the public to avoid drinking.

"As far as the DOH and the WHO are concerned, any amount. Sabi nga nila, the risk starts with the first drop. Iyong ating pagkadelikado sa unang patak pa lang ng alcohol ay nandoon na. Talagang dapat iniiwasan na natin ito as much as we can," he said.

"Ang mensahe is any level, any amount of alcohol: small, kahit sabihing light, kahit sabihing drink responsibly, hindi po iyan tama. Dapat po talaga iwasan siya," he added.

Domingo also debunked claims that some types of alcoholic beverages--like beer and red wine--have health benefits.

"The Department of Health fully agrees with the statement that there is no safe level of alcohol. Sa katunayan, ang pinanggagalingan namin dyan is ang mga pag-aaral na nakita na sa ibang bansa, led and observed by no less than the World Health Organization. Hindi naman talaga totoo iyong parang sabi nila na it's (alcohol) good for the heart," Domingo told ABS-CBN News.

While Domingo acknowledged there have been studies done on the relationship of certain alcoholic beverages and health, he cautioned against applying them wholescale.

"Alam mo, deretsuhin na natin. Iyong pag-aaral na iyon, yes may pag-aaral. Pero ang problema, iyong sinasabing statistical methods, iyong paggamit ng computation. Tsaka iyong mga taong inobserbahan, hindi siya angkop para sabihin na just because nakita namin sa maliit na grupoNg ganito ay buong mundo pwede na nating sabihing safe siya," he said.

Earlier, the WHO said in a news release that "when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health."

"Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance and has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago – this is the highest risk group, which also includes asbestos, radiation and tobacco. Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including the most common cancer types, such as bowel cancer and female breast cancer. Ethanol (alcohol) causes cancer through biological mechanisms as the compound breaks down in the body, which means that any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of developing cancer," the agency said.

"To identify a 'safe' level of alcohol consumption, valid scientific evidence would need to demonstrate that at and below a certain level, there is no risk of illness or injury associated with alcohol consumption. The new WHO statement clarifies: currently available evidence cannot indicate the existence of a threshold at which the carcinogenic effects of alcohol 'switch on' and start to manifest in the human body," it added.

'HARD TO AVOID'

Friends and drinkers "Jun" and "Buboy", who asked for their identites to be hidden, admitted quitting the habit is easier said than done, as they went on to drink in broad daylight.

Jun shared he thought that drinking alcohol would "cure" his asthma.

Realizing that this was not the case, he switched from drinking daily to just once to thrice a week.

"Minsan kasi naghahabol hininga ako... parang iyong plema na hindi makalabas, pag tinubig ko nang tinubig, parang andoon lang siya. Ubo ako nang ubo na hindi ko mailabas. Pero pag na-ano ko iyong alak, katulad ng gin, napapaubo ako, may lumalabas na plema, medyo nakakaraos na ako," he told ABS-CBN News.

Jun also sees drinking as a form of leisure.

Meantime, Buboy explained he momentarily forgets about this problems when drinking with friends.

"Magaan sa akin, nilalabas ko iyong sama ng loob sa mga nangyari sa akin," he said.

"Hindi po maiwasan iyan. Kasi unang-una iyan ang pakisama sa tao. Wala kang makikilalang tao o barkada kung 'di ka manginginom," he added.

NO SAFE LIMITS

In a forum last week, the Hepatology Society of the Philippines called for abstinence from alcohol because of its danger to the liver.

"Alcohol consumption has been shown to accelerate or cause liver disease, so talagang wala nang safe limits," said Dr. Angelo Lozada, the society's vice president.

Safe limits refer to a supposedly safe amount of alcohol to drink--previously said to be 30 grams of alcohol or 3 bottles of beer for men and 20 grams of alcohol or 2 bottles of beer for women.

But why is the group--like the DOH and WHO--also deviating from the safe drinking limit?

"Kasi--from recent studies--even those who consume alcohol lesser amounts of alcohol still have potential risk for developing alcohol-related diseases. So talagang sa alcohol, avoid as much as possible," he explained.

Lozada said data show an estimated 40 percent prevalence of alcoholic liver disease in the Philippines, mostly among males, with around 21.1 deaths per 100,000 men.