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Now that New Years is over I have some bad news to report. "Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer." Two similar studies, one from America and one from England, in the past few months showed similar results. "Sorry about that," Dr. Rehert
The good news is that alcohol, in moderation, prevents heart disease.
First from November, 2002:
Alcohol + Hormones = Cancer Danger
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 19, 2002
(AP) Women who drink alcohol and take hormones are at almost double the risk of breast cancer, researchers with a large ongoing study say. Previous studies have shown that women who have more than a drink a day raise their risk of breast cancer, and that hormone replacement therapy also increases the cancer risk. The Nurses' Health Study assessed the risk of the two factors combined. Researchers said the good news is that alcohol and estrogen together do not greatly magnify the danger through interaction. Some scientists were concerned that might be the case.
Instead, what they found is that a postmenopausal woman who has a lifetime breast cancer risk of 4 percent could increase the risk to 8 percent if she drinks and takes hormones.
Even so, the increased risk is "not big enough to say it'll kill you if you drink," said Dr. Norman Lasser of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, who is not affiliated with the Nurses' Health Study. Study co-author Dr. Wendy Chen, of Brigham and Women's Hospital said it's not necessary to stop drinking altogether. For those women who take hormones, a good compromise would be to consume no more than one drink a day. That way, women can still get the cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol use while eliminating the increased breast-cancer risk. Click Here For Complete Story
And now from December 31st, 2002:
Breast Cancer Risk Linked To Drinking
But Not Made Worse By Smoking
December 31, 2002 07:33:01 AM PST, ACS News Today
Every drink a woman takes increases her chances of developing breast cancer. But researchers have cleared away the confusion over whether it's the cigarette she smokes along with the drink that leads to the cancer. Now scientists are sure that it is the alcohol that matters, according to a report in the British Journal of Cancer (Vol. 87: 1234-1245).
The study, led by researchers from Cancer Research UK, in Oxford, UK, included dozens of the most prestigious researchers from around the world to look into the causes of cancer. Their report reviewed the results of 65 separate studies, involving nearly 200,000 women.
They found that a single daily drink of 1 oz of spirits such as whiskey, gin, or vodka, or 3 oz of wine increases a woman's breast cancer risk slightly — perhaps 3% to 4%. But after that, every additional daily drink increases the risk by 7%. By four drinks a day, a woman's risk goes to 30%. Smoking didn't make the risk worse, the authors said. This means that for women who drink alcohol, their intake is the major risk factor. Smoking had no extra effect.
The effect of alcohol was there regardless of a woman's race, education, family history, use of hormone replacement therapy, or other risk factors. No matter what a woman's baseline risk, it went up 7% with each drink.
They cautioned that although daily drinking will increase a woman's breast cancer risk, she needs to keep in mind its beneficial effect, in moderation, on heart disease.
So as I've said before, "everything in moderation."
The above is not meant to be medical advice. Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.
Best wishes for the New Year. Dr. Rehert
Best wishes for the New Year. Dr. Rehert
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