Even Low Levels Of Alcohol Associated With Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer

Even a consumption of 3 to 6 alcoholic beverages in a week is associated with a small increase in the risk of women to develop breast cancer. Consumption of even small amounts of alcoholic beverages in earlier and later adult life also increases the risk according to a latest study published in the November 2 issues of JAMA.

The effects of low levels of alcoholic beverage consumption have never been studied in the United States and these levels have never been quantified as well. With this in mind, Wendy Y. Chen, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston and her colleagues have examined the relation of breast cancer to alcohol consumption in adult life. Her research includes the quantity, frequency of drinking and the age at consumption of alcoholic beverages in which 105,986 women were studied. The outcome to be measured was the risk of developing invasive breast cancer based on regular follow-ups from the year 1980 until 2008.

Significant results were revealed during the follow up period; 7,690 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed among the women who participated. These women had low level alcohol consumption from 5.0 to 9.9 grams per day which is roughly equivalent to 3-6 glasses of wine per week showing an increase of 5% in chances to develop breast cancer compared to women who have never consumed alcohol at all.

Significant factors related to drinking were also discovered. Binge drinking also leads to an increase in developing breast cancer and drinking early in adult like is also a determining factor in increasing your risk in developing breast cancer as well. This study therefore sheds the light on drinking alcohol; healthy personal lifestyle choices can certainly help reduce your risk in developing chronic illnesses in the future.

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