Study: All Alcohol Ups Breast Cancer Risk

Researchers Say A Drink Or Two A Day -- Of Beer, Wine Or Liquor -- Can Increase Risk

(CBS/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.

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.

According to a study of 70,000 women, that's the same added risk as if you smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller.

"A 30 percent increased risk is not trivial," Klatsky said. "It provides more evidence for why heavy drinkers should quit or cut down."

Researchers analyzed the drinking habits of women of various races and asked them questions during health exams between 1978 and 1985. By 2004, 2,829 of these women had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

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.

"None of these mechanisms have anything to do with breast cancer," Klatsky said. Though it is not entirely clear how alcohol contributes to breast cancer, some experts think it raises hormone levels in the blood to levels that could potentially cause cancer.

Still, doctors said that other factors were more important in raising the breast cancer risk than was alcohol consumption.

Experts say women should be much more concerned about being over-served at the dinner table rather than the barstool, adds Miller. Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer by nearly 50 percent.

More public education may be needed. "Alcohol has had a lot of good publicity. People may not realize the risk they're taking when they have a few drinks," said Tim Key, of the Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit at Oxford. Key was not involved in the study.

According to data published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002, 4 percent of all breast cancers -- about 44,000 cases a year -- in the United Kingdom are due to alcohol consumption.

Only a small proportion of women are thought to be heavy drinkers. But experts now say there is enough evidence to blame alcohol for breast cancer -- and to start educating the public.

"Any alcohol consumption will raise your breast cancer risk," Key said. "Women don't have to abstain from alcohol entirely, but they need to be aware of the risks they're taking when they have a few too many drinks."

[oleander8]

GAWDAMN! Will you publishers of pop-studies make up your mind? 1 drink a day is good for you, 1 drink a day will kill you - eggs are bad for you, eggs are good for you - coffee is bad, coffee is good...HOLY-*****!

[briannorwood]

Alcohol and breasts...Geez, whoda thunk there''s a connection?

[erasmus6]

"Because todays "bad product" is tommorrows great "cure" often for the very same disease." posted by toldyouso21

I''m thinkin'' it''s the other way around.

TODAYS great "cure" is TOMORROWS "bad product".

[ringading3]

Everything in moderation.

[why_not_nar]

There was another study published this weak that stated that alcohol was the most dangerous legal drug that we have.
The message absolutely is consuming more than the equivalent of one glass of wine a day does not improve your quality of life. Period.
The particular drug is a very dangerous substance. Whether it should be banned or not is another discussion. Legal or not will not change that whatever minimal good affects are outweighted by disasterous bad affects.

Why don''t they tell us what we don''t know. They need to put out reports how prescription medicine for menopause give women breast cancer; now that would be news from Big Pharma.

[alphaa10-2009]

takingham said, "I wish they would study the effects of corn syrup this much..."
---
You are in good company-- you second the motion of Dr. Sanjay Gupta, neuroologist and CNN medical correspondent, who regards the mindless inclusion of corn syrup and derivatives in most grocery food as a likely source of the wave of metabolic and cardiac disorders in this country.

Review the label contents declaration of your next grocery items, and you will be surprised to find the same standard ingredients over and over. Corn syrup is simply a repetition by food manufacturers of their original embrace of trans fats.

Only when consumers mass their demands for better food will things improve. Most-- not all-- food manufacturers see no rationale but profit for what they produce.

Aside from corn syrup, made by Archer Daniels Midland and others, the widespread use of soy and/or canola oils (also ADM products) is also a potential public health issue. Soy and other vegetable oils are especially easy to peroxidize (become rancid), and one Australian researcher considers heavy use of vegetable oils to be the proximate cause of his country''s wave of macular degeneration. Why not substitute olive oil in most general food formulations?

[martin9p2]

Everyone must understand that the latest study is not the same as accepted fact. So a scientist (I used that term loosely) did a study and came up with a conclusion. The scientific process requires that those results be repeated many times under many conditions before it is accepted as "fact". CBS itself is somewhat guilty of not stating the significance of this study (that it''s not too significant, yet). When you hear the same conclusions from several sources, and that the study is backed up by a study which is accepted by a conference of doctors, etc., etc., then you can think about changing your eating or drinking habits.

[grammawhamma]

"Here is a sure thing---live to the fullest today--because there is no guarantee that you or I will be here tommorrow--and try not to make yourself to miserable chasing the latest "cures" and eating nasty food hoping you can cling to this place longer."


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Posted by toldyouso21 at 05:06 PM : Sep 27, 2007

Very well said. I agree 100%. Eat drink and be merry!!

[toldyouso21]

Uhmmmmmm. Nobody listens to the bs anymore about the latest food to kill or help in cancers or most other diseases. The reason? Because todays "bad product" is tommorrows great "cure" often for the very same disease. Remember how eggs was the most complete food? Or when Bran could lower cholesterol and only margarine should be used? Oooops, their bad. Now Margarine is BAAAAAD for you and real butter is best.

cholesterol was BAAAAAD and fat was BAAAAD...now fat is NECESSARY and some cholesterol is good and some is bad. A Drink a day was good for the heart but evidently bad for tittttties... and garlic has been shown to help superman fly. At this point, the only sure thing is that a lot of Scientists do not know what the fvck they are doing and are wasting money and everyone''s time with these jokes about bad food.

Here is a sure thing---live to the fullest today--because there is no guarantee that you or I will be here tommorrow--and try not to make yourself to miserable chasing the latest "cures" and eating nasty food hoping you can cling to this place longer.