| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 8:47:00 AM | Numerous studies have shown that alcohol increases cancer risks for women; particularly risks for breast cancer
Feb. 24, 2009 -- Women who drink as little as one alcoholic beverage a day -- be it beer, wine, or hard liquor -- have an increased cancer risk, a study shows.
Researchers followed more than 1.2 million middle-aged women for an average of seven years. The women were participants in the ongoing Million Women Study in the U.K.
Those who drank alcohol consumed on average one drink a day. These women had an increased cancer risk with increasing alcohol intake, especially for cancers of the breast, liver, rectum, mouth, throat, and esophagus.
Based on their findings, the researchers estimated that alcohol could be to blame for 13% of these cancers in women.
The link between alcohol and breast cancer has been extensively researched and reported on, but the study is among the first to link low-to-moderate alcohol consumption to other cancers in women.
"There were no minimum levels of alcohol consumption that could be considered to be without risk," cancer epidemiologist and study researcher Naomi Allen, DPhil, of the University of Oxford, tells WebMD.
Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Most of the excess cases were breast cancers. Allen and colleagues concluded that as many as 11% of breast cancers can be attributed to alcohol consumption.
http://women.webmd.com/news/20090224/alcohol-linked-to-cancer-risk-in-women
The new study tracked the health of 122,000 women since 1976. They were free of cancer at the start of the study. Every four years, the women were asked how much alcohol they had used during an average month in the past year.
By 2002, nearly 6,000 of the women developed breast cancer.
When compared with teetotalers:
Women who drank the equivalent of a half glass of wine a day were 6% more likely to develop breast cancer.
Women who drank a glass or two a day faced a 21% increased risk of breast cancer.
Those who drank more than two drinks a day were 37% more likely to develop breast cancer.
However, the risk was much greater in menopausal women:
Menopausal women who drank a half glass of wine daily increased their chance of breast cancer by 18%.
http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/20061101/alcohol-breast-cancer-risk | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 11:55:57 AM | I hardly ever drink so getting cancer via the consumption of alcohol is the least of my worries. I recently had two articles published in the local newspaper regarding the use of pecticides around my house and city! There are so many ways to trigger cancer cells from unknown sources all around us that worrying about a study that singles out one possibility is to do all of us an injustice.
Carcinogens are found in imported food, the foundation of newly built houses, household items and cleaners and in just about everything we are exposed to in our environment.
P.S. Here is one tip. When you buy food that says processed and packaged in Canada, worry about where the food originated from. It might just not be Canada! | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 5:12:44 PM | Interesting. Two vices "approved" and "legal" by the goverments are both linked to cancers,,,,yet,,,,,still "approved" and "legal". And yet,,,,there are many people that still believe they are always looking out for our "safety" when new and improved rules and laws are put in place. Just thinking out loud here,,,but,,,, I wonder,,,would it have anything at all to do with $$$$$$.
Like I said,,,,interesting.
Just a side note. I do believe that the majority of "my" generation will die of some form of cancer. Don't know which one it will be for me,,,,and in the end,,,,it probably really doesn't matter what I "don't" drink, eat,breath, touch, work with,etc. I'll be dead. | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 5:29:19 PM | Walts
Don't know which one it will be for me,,,,and in the end
Interesting choice of words.
In British Columbia three people die of colorectal cancer every day. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the province. Early detection can save your life.
Get screened.
=> www.bccancer.ca/coloncheck | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 5:59:49 PM | Living causes cancer, and also causes you to die.
I think people probably die more now from the metabolic changes that accompany worry, fear and stress and from negative information overload than they do the diseases themselves.
Stress overload causes the immune system to pack it in, allowing disease to take over.
If you all want to learn how to stay healthy, learn how to pace your life so you don't get out of bed everyday and wonder about every that chemical you put in your body is going to kill you.
Genetics and stress have far more to do with disease than the occasional glass of wine or spirits.
Maybe women that drink have a higher amount of stress in their life than women that don't and less ability to cope with it?
Now if they could take a bunch of clones, make them live exactly the same life, half drinking and half not...maybe then we could take these kind of statistics to heart. | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 6:23:51 PM | | It was not long ago they were touting the health benefits of a daily glass of red wine and, I am sure in a few more months there will be another study with a different slant. | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/6/2009 6:50:41 PM | Those are great points Anicca.
Genetics and stress have far more to do with disease than the occasional glass of wine or spirits.
I think they are talking about moderate doses, as in 3 drinks of any alcoholic beverage per day. Although alcohol in combination with other lifestyle factors, smoking, poor nutrition or HRT is linked to increased cancer risk even with one drink per day.
This study was done for the most part on middle-aged women. This group is traditionally seen to be under increased stress with hormone changes, increased stress and responsibilities with aging parents, as well as their own mid-life concerns.
It seems more like the every day drinker is most susceptible, and finding other ways to relax is probably a good idea. | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/7/2009 6:20:44 AM |
Did anyone test men on drinking alcohol related to cancer or are they still allowed to have fun?
Moderate and high alcohol intake over a lifetime may increase the risk of prostate cancer (PCa) and some other malignancies, new findings suggest.
http://www.renalandurologynews.com/Prostate-Cancer-Linked-to-Lifetime-Alcohol-Use/article/148574/ | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/7/2009 9:34:44 PM | | ^Yup, well there you go. I find the research, the stats, can show anything people want it to show. One day it is a good thing to have a glass of wine or two regularly and the next day you are a goner or not. | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/7/2009 10:11:58 PM | I think its called "damned if you do or damned if you don't" I think we have to do things in moderation and keep ourselves informed..
EG.. I think I would die if I could not have my glass of wine before bed, so what the heck??? moderation, moderation, moderation!
Nite all | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/8/2009 8:39:13 AM | | The 'glass of wine' research came before the breast cancer research, I believe. In fact, the 'glass of wine' research is mentioned in the first article. Anyway, there are many other things you can do to prevent heart disease - drinking wine every day won't make up for other bad habits, while foregoing it may help avoid cancer - at least, according to the research to date. | |
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| Women: Alcohol and Breast Cancer
Posted: 11/8/2009 4:04:36 PM | It seems everytime we turn around we learn about something else that we should not do or should not indulge in lest we risk getting cancer or compromising our life span by a few years. I really think people are getting so worried about what they put into their bodies these days that they forget to live their life to the fullest and compromise quality of life for the sake of tacking on a year or two at the end of their life when they are too old to enjoy much of anything anyways.
Of course we have to do everything in moderation, but we still have to enjoy life and what it has to offer. If we don't enjoy ourselves and we live in a glass box and avoid everything we are just the "walking dead".
I'm not saying that I go around doing risky things all the time, but life is about having some enjoyment and fun. I say enjoy life to the fullest, within reason, and it will keep you younger, happier and therefore, keep you healthier.
That's my .02 for what it's worth, which is probably about .02. 
OE: I hope that did not come across as sounding unsympathetic to those going through an illness, I really do have compassion for those who are, I just feel people need to focus more on "living" and focus less on giving up everything we enjoy (not counting the obvious ones like smoking, crack and obvious harmful addictions or overindulging, whether it is eating, alcohol or anything else that people go overboard with, including excessive exercise to the point of needing perfection in their body image). | |
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