Since it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought you'd like to know that drinking any type of alcohol adds to the risk of developing breast cancer. We're talking, wine (even red), beer, and liquor. It has nothing to do with the kind of beverage you choose, it's the amount of alcohol you consume that could pose a problem.
Previous studies made a connection to alcohol and breast cancer risk, but there were conflicting views about what kinds of alcohol had this effect.
This new study analyzed 70,033 women of different races, from 1978 to 1985. By 2004, 2,829 of the participants were diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers discovered that it didn't matter what kind of alcoholic drinks these women consumed, but the women that drank one to two servings of alcohol a day increased their risk of developing the disease by 10%. Women kicking back more than three drinks a day increased their risk by 30%.
I know that we've all been drilled to think that having a glass of red wine a day is healthy for our heart, but when it comes to breast cancer the same is not true. It's not clear why alcohol increases breast cancer risk, but some experts think it raises hormone levels in the blood, which could potentially cause cancer.
Fit's Tips: As with everything, moderation is the key. Enjoying an occasional drink is fine, but know that pounding a 6-pack every night may increase your risk for developing breast cancer.
View Collection
Givenchy
Prada
Wow. Bummer. Big bummer.
1I usually have about one drink a day, so I guess that doesn't increase my risk. You have to take into consideration OTHER risk factors as well though...weight, activity level, genetics, diet, etc. Lots of things can contribute to getting breast cancer.
2...EVERYTHING causes cancer these days.....
3I am certainly not a world expert, but I do believe that I know significantly more than the average Joe on the subject -- I have authored several papers in leading oncology and epidemiology journals on the relationship between breast cancer and alcohol. Frequently, increasing the amount of folate can decrease the chance of developing alcohol-induced breast cancer, so make sure you are taking in enough! Also, the media significantly overplays this association. In the vast majority of studies I have read, it takes 25+ drinks/week (over 3/day) to cause an absolute increase in breast cancer risks, when other factors are eliminated. Most media-promoted studies do not normalize for other factors, such as diet and lifestyle factor.
4Interesting.
5Hmmm that's somehting I didn't know, 10% is quite high.
6I might have ONE drink after work on the weekdays (sometimes not even) and every now and then I go to the bar.
So thank goodness I don't drink THAT much.
That's why drinking is bad.
7i guess a lot more female teenagers are gonna be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and next year.
8All things in moderation, this is just another reminder that an excess of anything is unhealthy.
9this is very good information to us.
===========================================
radha.
Alcohol abuse affects millions. This site has a lot of useful information.
http://alcoholabusecenter.com
10Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.