eMedicineLive

A recent study published in the Journal of American Medical Association has tried to find the link between breast cancer and the quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption. The study, led by Dr. Wendy Y. Chen from the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, has found that even moderate consumption of alcohol of not more than 3 to 6 glasses per week increases the risk of breast cancer.

 

The study included 105,986 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health study. The drinking habits of the participants were assessed between 1980 and 2008. Confounding factors like the parity and age of the participants, history of breast feeding, and smoking habits were adjusted. At the end of the study, 7690 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. It was found that even moderate consumption of alcohol was tied to an increased risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer in women drinking 3 to 6 glasses of alcohol was found to be 3.3 percent. This compares to a risk of 2.8 percent in teetotalers and 3.5 percent in women consuming more than 13 glasses of alcohol per week. Although the increase in risk of breast cancer is modest, it is definitely there and cannot be ignored. Alcohol is believed to increase the levels of estrogen circulating in the blood. Increased levels of estrogen have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer.

 

However, detractors of the study have pointed out that there are no studies to prove that giving up alcohol can reduce the risk of breast cancer. Moreover, doctors often recommend a glass of red wine per day to improve the cardiovascular health. So a woman abstaining completely from alcohol may lose upon the benefits that red wine offers to the heart. Dr. Chen has acknowledged that her group is trying to find out whether giving up on alcohol reduces the risk of breast cancer.

 

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