India, May 27 -- A new UN study has found that alcoholic drinks, especially beer and spirits, may raise the risk of pancreatic cancer.

The research, led by the UN World Health Organization's centre for cancer research, pooled data from nearly 2.5 million people across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.

"Alcohol consumption is a known carcinogen, but until now, the evidence linking it specifically to pancreatic cancer has been considered inconclusive," said Pietro Ferrari, senior author of the study at the international cancer research agency and Head of Nutrition and Metabolism Branch at the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

The pancreas is a vital organ that produces enzymes for digestion and hormones th...