Most recent research indicates that a few alcoholic drinks a week can cut the risk of many diseases and is good for a woman's general health, but breast cancer appears to be an exception. A Harvard study found that consuming just three to six alcoholic drinks a week increases risk. Although an increased chance of breast cancer has been associated with higher alcohol consumption in previous studies, the effect of low-level drinking wasn't understood.
The study, which was conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, included 105,986 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study. They were followed from 1980 until 2008, and their drinking habits — including quantity, frequency, and age of consumption — were evaluated as early adults and by eight additional assessments through the years. The goal was to measure their risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
During the follow-up period, there were 7,690 cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed among the study participants. Analyses of data indicated that a low level of alcohol consumption — the equivalent to three to six glasses of wine per week — was associated with a 15 percent increased risk of breast cancer. In addition, women who consumed at least two drinks each day raised their risk of breast cancer by 51 percent when compared with women who never consumed alcohol. The risks remained, regardless of the stage of life the alcohol was consumed — ages 18 to 40 years or after age 40. Binge drinking was also associated with increased risk, even when cumulative alcohol totals were taken into consideration.
The authors acknowledged that although the exact mechanism for the association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer is not known, one probable explanation may involve alcohol's effects on circulating estrogen levels.
"Our results highlight the importance of considering lifetime exposure when evaluating the effect of alcohol, and probably other dietary factors, on the carcinogenesis process," wrote the researchers. "However, an individual will need to weigh the modest risks of light to moderate alcohol use on breast cancer development against the beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease to make the best personal choice regarding alcohol consumption."
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women. According to the National Cancer Institute, 230,480 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and 39,520 will die.
The American Cancer Society offers the following guidelines for preventing cancer:
• Choose foods and portion sizes that promote a healthy weight. A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that women with the highest BMIs increased their risk of developing the aggressive form of cancer known as triple-negative by 35 percent.
• Eat whole grains instead of refined grain products, such as white rice. Chinese researchers recently found that women who eat the most fiber lower their risk of developing breast cancer by 11 percent.
• Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. A study reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that a diet high in fruits and vegetables appeared to lower their risk of developing estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer by about 20 percent.
• Limit processed and red meat. A British study found that those women who ate the largest amounts of red or processed meat (two or more ounces each day) increased their risk of developing breast cancer by 56 percent. Those who ate the most processed meat (more than three-quarters of an ounce daily) increased their risk by 64 percent.
• Limit alcohol consumption. Women who are at high risk for breast cancer should consider banning all alcohol from their diets.
Can supplements help? The jury is still out, but a recent study published in the journal Cancer found that women with early stage breast cancer who took either vitamin C or E on a regular basis had a lower risk of their cancer recurring than those who didn't take either vitamin. Conversely, the same study found that women who took carotenoids (vitamin A, beta-carotene, and lutein) had a higher risk of dying from breast cancer.
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