Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Cork Your Breast Cancer Risk

Researchers have long known that drinking alcohol is linked to breast cancer in women. In fact, a recent study suggests that 60 percent of female breast cancer cases worldwide are associated with alcohol consumption. The evidence proving alcohol’s potentially deadly, supportive effect on cancer cells is mounting.

“We found that in mice, alcohol stimulated tumor growth and the malignancy of breast cancer,” says Jian-Wei Gu, MD, an assistant professor of physiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and one of the researchers involved in a new study. “Our study represents moderate alcohol consumption,” says Gu. One group of mice was given the equivalent of two drinks per day for a month, while the control group of mice drank water.

While there isn’t really a universal measurement of what constitutes moderate drinking– the amount that teeters between help and harm–one drink is defined by the Harvard School of Public Health as about 12 grams of alcohol. So to replicate what the study mice were given (two drinks), that suggests a daily consumption of about two beers, or two five-ounce servings of wine (pretty easy to get in one pour with generously-sized wine glasses), or three ounces of spirits. Generally speaking, research shows that women who imbibe two to five drinks daily increase their risk of breast cancer about one and a half times that of non-drinkers.

Gu takes a hard line on alcohol consumption, saying, “The best thing for women who want to reduce their risk, is to abstain from alcohol completely.” According to the American Cancer Society, other lifestyle choices that lower risk include getting 30 minutes a day of exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding high-fat and processed foods.

~ Michele Deppe