Britain's Department of Health warned that women who drink above the recommended limit are 50 percent more likely to develop breast cancer.

The government has launched a 10-million-pound (about 20 million U.S. dollars) advertising campaign targeting middle-aged women who might underestimate the harm of their drinking habit, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on Saturday.

A health department report to be published says women who drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week are at increased risk of breast cancer.

Dawn Primarolo, minister of public health, said: "Women who regularly drink too much are 50 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. And many drink too much simply because they have no idea how many alcohol units they are consuming."

Charity organization Cancer Research also says alcohol causes about 2,000 breast cancer cases in Britain a year.

Other health risks for women who binge on drink include liver disease, unplanned pregnancies and ruptured bladders.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 23, 2008)