Study: Alcohol Boosts Breast Cancer Risk

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 27, 2007

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- All types of alcohol -- wine, beer or liquor -- add equally to the risk of developing breast cancer in women, American researchers said Thursday.

''This is a hugely underestimated risk factor,'' said Dr. Patrick Maisonneuve, head of epidemiology at the European Institute of Oncology in Italy, who was not connected to the study.

''Women drinking wine because they think it is healthier than beer are wrong,'' he said. ''It's about the amount of alcohol consumed, not the type.''

Previous studies have shown a link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, but there have been conflicting messages about whether different kinds of alcohol were more dangerous than others.

The researchers, led by Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, Calif., revealed their findings at a meeting of the European Cancer Organization in Barcelona....

***

Researchers found no difference in the risk of developing breast cancer among women who drank wine, beer, or liquor. Compared with light drinkers -- those who had less than one drink a day -- women who had one or two drinks a day increased their risk of developing breast cancer by 10 percent. Women who had more than three drinks a day raised their risk by 30 percent....Still, doctors said that other factors, such as genetics, obesity, and age, were more important in raising the breast cancer risk than was alcohol consumption....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Alcohol-Cancer.html

[sasquatch]

1. Great more scare tactics by the department of stopping fun

Yet the consumption of alcohol decreases your risk for a heart attack.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. From the article --

"Some experts said that people might be confused by suggestions that drinking red wine is healthy, since some studies have suggested that it protects against heart disease."

[Scooter24]

2. Seems like everything leads to some such disease

Aspirin might stop a heart attack, but you'll probably have liver damage as a result. Or there is research that says drinking wine is associated with a longer life expectancy in men.

Why not just live a little and enjoy life. :)

[Haole Girl]

3. Obesity increases the risk by 50%...drinking 3 glasses per day 30%....

I doubt most people caught that part in the news story, though.

[Demeter]

4. Food Fads and Junk Science Have Destroyed America

as much as the oil economy. They've destroyed bodies and minds.

[Psephos]

6. Wise words n/t

[Tian Zhuangzhuang]

7. Who knows same shit different day.

I happen to know for a fact alcohol does greatly increase the risk of pregnancy. :toast: :beer:

[nradisic]

8. Live a healthy and long life

Be happy, drink lots of wine and enjoy life!

[bullimiami]

9. another study another result. alchohol good, alchohol bad. whatever.

[kurth]

10. And drinking lots of water will kill ya

[McCamy Taylor]

11. Alcohol increases estrogen effects via liver changes, that increases breast cancer

It increases estrogen in women and men. In men increased estrogen is very cardioprotective due to their relative imbalance---high testosterone, low estrogen status. Premenopausal women already have protective levels of estrogen so adding more may not help the heart or circulatory system, it may just cause more blood clotting. And increased estrogens can cause more of certain tumors, esp. breast and uterus.

That does not mean that one drink a day might not help post menopausal women who do not take estrogen and are at increased risk for heart disease by slightly raising their body's estrogen. But it could also increase their cancer risk--the same way that testosterone shots could increase a man's prostate cancer risk.

Women are not the same as men. Results of men's studies can not be extrapolated to women.

Regarding aspirin and NSAID, there are studies showing that these drugs prevent cancer--like a recent one showing that people who use NSAID regularly have a decreased recurrence of squamous cell cancer of the skin. They may not prevent all cancers, just cut the risk of some. Rheumatoid arthritis patients who use NSAID have long been known to have lower incidence of some cancers.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Thank you, McCamy! We've recently had a round of breast cancer in our family...

so my eyes and ears are open to any info.

[splat]

13. Soon we'll all die of nothing at all after mean, joyless lives

No lives are "saved." Everybody dies.

[alarimer]

14. All those extra years come at the end anyway

The last line quoted is the most important one: Other factors such as genetics (which you can't do anything about), obesity (which you can do something about) and age (again, nothing you can do) are more important.

But let's blame that "demon rum".

[Sequoia]

15. This is so NOT true.

[renate]

16. this is not new news--it's been known for a long time, BUT....

.... it would be nice (and might save some lives) if equal attention were paid to the fact that folic acid reduces the effects of alcohol on breast cancer risk:

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/331/7520/807

http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2001-rst/857.html

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_2_1x_Study_Folic_Acid_Vitamin_B6_May_Protect_Against_Breast_Cancer.asp

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol.html

PLEASE tell all the women you know. I tell people about alcohol, breast cancer risk, and folic acid supplementation all the time and so far, not one person had already heard about the increased risk or about how folic acid brings it back down to average.

[NJCher]

19. my mom told me about it

And I've been taking folic acid every day since she told me.



Cher

[sweetpotato]

17. George Carlin once said ...

That stomach cancer was caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time.

[renate]

18. I'm going to give this one more kick

I really want women who drink to know about how folic acid can mitigate the increased risk of breast cancer. Please spread the word!