Low levels of alcohol consumption associated with small increased risk of breast cancer
02. 11. 2011 | ecancer.org
Consumption of 3 to 6 alcoholic drinks per week is associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer, and consumption in both earlier and later adult life is also associated with an increased risk, according to a study in JAMA [1].
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"In many studies, higher consumption of alcohol has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. However, the effect of low levels of drinking as is common in the United States has not been well quantified," according to background information in the article. "In addition, the role of drinking patterns (i.e., frequency of drinking and 'binge' drinking) and consumption at different times of adult life are not well understood."
Wendy Y. Chen, M.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues examined the association of breast cancer with alcohol consumption during adult life, including quantity, frequency, and age at consumption.
The study included 105,986 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study who were followed up from 1980 until 2008 with an early adult alcohol assessment and 8 updated alcohol assessments. The primary outcome the researchers measured was the risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
Read the whole article at ecancer.org
Reference
- Chen, W. Y., Rosner, B. et al. (2011). Moderate alcohol consumption during adult life, drinking patterns, and breast cancer risk JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1590
- Nurses' Health Study (Harvard Medical School)
Keywords: breast cancer, alcohol consumption
