Alcohol Intake and Breast Cancer – Present Views
Fri, November 18, 2011 at 03:00AM In 2008 I wrote about a study that showed a dose-dependent association between women’s alcohol intake and their risk of contracting breast cancer. In a 7-year study of 5,400 invasive breast cancer, 1,641 women were ER+/PR+, meaning they had receptors on their tumor cells that were estrogen and progesterone ‘positive’ – i.e. they had hormone-dependent tumors. Compared with non-drinkers, ER+/PR+ women who took less than one drink a day, 1-2 drinks daily, or 3-or-more drinks daily had an increased risk of breast cancer amounting to increases of 7%, 32%, and 51%, respectively. These numbers were not statistically significant, but it was just a matter of time before a larger study would result in convincing evidence of an association. And now we have such a study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Data came from the Nurses’ Health Study, where 106,000 women were followed from 1980 to 2008. Alcohol consumption (quantity and frequency) was assessed up to 9 times during the study.
There were 7,690 cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed during the study period. As in the 2008 study, increasing alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. However, women who averaged 3 to 6 drinks a week (less than one drink a day) had a 15% higher risk, which was a statistically-significant finding.
Although this was ‘old news’, the finding of a significant increase at a very low alcohol intake led to considerable media attention. Now women are faced with a quandary. Is it worth continuing to drink ‘moderately’ (up to one drink a day for women) to experience its benefits on cardiovascular health, or should they give up completely to avoid a very slight increased risk of breast cancer? A survey of physicians’ and other health professionals’ opinions suggests that women should continue with ‘moderate’ alcohol intake, unless they have a family history of breast cancer (i.e. their risk is already heightened).
Reader Comments (1)
Mavala Double Lash
Hi,really great information here!