December 15, 2009 – Alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, would increase the risk of recurrence in women who have suffered from breast cancer, according to American researchers1.
The study’s authors followed 1,897 breast cancer survivors for nearly 6 years. According to the results, participants who regularly drank 3 or more drinks per week increased their risk of recurrence by 34%, compared to those who drank less than 3 drinks per week or not at all.
The harmful effects of alcohol on breast cancer were most marked in women going through menopause and in those who were overweight or obese.
One of the study’s authors, epidemiologist Marilyn Kwan, claims that alcohol causes estrogen levels in the body to increase. “Breast cancer feeds on precisely this hormone,” she explained at a recent conference of the American Association for Cancer Research. She therefore recommends that women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer reduce their alcohol consumption.
It is not clear from the results of the study whether one type of alcohol is more harmful than another. “We think the type of alcohol doesn’t matter. What increases the risk of recurrence, according to our observations, is the quantity absorbed, ”says the researcher.
Few studies have looked at the effects of alcohol on breast cancer recurrence. However, several epidemiological studies have come to the conclusion that the more alcohol is consumed, the greater the risk of breast cancer.
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To find out more about the effects of alcohol on health, see our Alcohol: To your health! … Really? File. |
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Kwan ML, Weltzien E, Kushi LH, et al. Alcohol intake and breast cancer prognosis. Presentation during the conference San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium of the’American Association for Cancer Research. United States, 2009.
