No Safe Level Of Consumption
The WHO says that more than 10 per cent of alcohol-attributable cancer cases in the European region arise from drinking just one bottle of beer or two small glasses of wine every day.
For breast cancer, this is even higher, with 1 in 4 alcohol-attributable breast cancer cases in the region being caused by this amount.
Wine Vs Breast Cancer
A recent study looked at moderate drinkers alcohol intake and correlated it to their relative risk of cancer. The study showed that the relative risk of cancer increased for women drinkers from anywhere from 59% and everyone got scared .
What the study didnt do though, was separate out the different types of alcohol and show relative risks for each type. After the study came out it received a great deal of rigorous critique from the science community and members from the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research crunched the numbers:
Low To Moderate Alcohol Use In Healthy Adults
No one should drink a lot of alcohol.
Drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol, however, may lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and death .
However, drinking more than 1 drink per day and more than 2 drinks per day has no health benefits and many serious health risks, including breast cancer .
Talk with your health care provider about the potential health benefits and risks of drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol.
Komen Perspective
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What About Risk Of Alcohol And Breast Cancer Recurrence Or A Second Primary Breast Cancer
One systematic review looked at six databases and 16 studies, of which 11 assessed breast cancer recurrence.
About half of the 11 studies showed a modest, but significant association between alcohol consumption and increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. Two of the included studies suggested the association was stronger in postmenopausal women.
This same study observed that the association between alcohol and second primary breast cancer is less clear.
However, the WCRF report on diet, nutrition, physical activity and breast cancer survivorsdoes not at this time find evidence strong enough to make specific recommendations for survivors on alcohol and recurrence risk.
As a dietitian, Im trained to use research in making nutrition recommendations for others.
As a breast cancer survivor, I make personal nutrition and diet decisions based on my diagnosis AND the research. I believe alcohol may have contributed to my cancer. Of course I have no way of confirming that. But whos to say continuing to drink wouldnt negatively influence my recurrence risk?
I just couldnt discount the connection found in the review . And research is ongoing. Because the evidence isnt strong enough NOW, doesnt mean it wont be in the future.
I understand how findings like those in the WCRF report make it easy to dismiss the concerns around alcohol. And should you choose to? Theres nothing wrong with that.
Theres no judgment either way.
Ways To Get Rid Of Breast Cancer
The top listed way to reduce the risk is to avoid drinking. Here we present the top tips to get rid of such disease-causing from drinking alcohol.
You can also try mocktail It gives you the social feel and also mitigates the risks. Try some variation in mocktail by adding different
Try freezing your favorite wine in an ice cube. Then drink it after putting into a glass of sparkling water or soda. It works like a psychological remedy.
I have also tried some gravy type grape juice in soda, and it gives a pure wine feeling. However, alcohol will not be of assistance indeed.
Another best way to trigger down and solve the other causes of breast cancer. Research suggests a woman who does exercise at least 4 hours a week reduces minimum 30% risk of breast cancer. So regular workout is highly recommended.
Reduce the overweight by implementing a balanced diet. It reduces such risks.
Eat peanuts, tomato, carrots spinach also reduces the risk of breast cancer. Be aware of overeating purine-rich foods it increases the level of uric acid which may cause gouts and psoriasis in future.
The next tip is to check your breast regularly. Thats why OCTOBER month is specially named as breast cancer awareness. Check whether there is anything lump or mess, nipple pain, and other symptoms as per Cancer.org
Heres what Sarah Dussault tells about Breast Cancer.
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Findings Of Human Studies On Have Been Controversial
As red wine contains both potentially cancer-fighting compounds and cancer-causing substances , the million-dollar question is: does drinking red wine cause breast cancer, or does it help prevent this devastating disease?
Turns out, this topic is controversial at best. A French case-control study found that women who drank wine or beer with meals had a higher breast cancer risk than non-drinkers. Furthermore, the link between wine consumption and breast cancer risk was found to be dose-dependent, meaning that the higher the alcohol consumption, the higher the risk. This study, published in the September 1984 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, involved 1,010 women with breast cancer and 1,950 women with non-malignant diseases.
By contrast, a large, multicenter, population-based case-control study published in the March 2009 issue of the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that neither red nor white wine was linked to breast cancer risk in women.
How To Minimize Your Risk
Alcohol is very much a part of our culture, and may well be something you enjoy. Part of the key to minimizing the risks is making informed decisions. The less you drink, the less your risk of cancer. Making other lifestyle choices like eating more fruits and veggies and staying physically active may reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.
But no matter your current relationship with alcohol, its best to talk to your doctor about what your personal risks are so you know what adjustments you can make . Theres no doubt that working together with a trusted M.D. can help you live a healthy life that you enjoy. Cheers to that.
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Are There Any Health Benefits From Drinking Alcohol
You may have heard that drinking alcohol can be good for the heart. But the NHS alcohol guidelines say that the evidence is not clear and that there is no completely safe level of drinking. You should not drink alcohol for health benefits. The risk of cancer increases even drinking small amounts of alcohol.
For more information about alcohol and heart health visit the British Heart Foundations website.
Is Any Amount Of Alcohol Safe
When it comes to breast cancer risk, no amount of alcohol is considered safe.
Any amount can raise the risk, Kruse said. But smaller amounts of alcohol raise the risk very minimally.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , moderate alcohol consumption is defined as one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men. Yet, even this amount is considered risky.
Even one drink a day or seven drinks a week increases your risk, Martinez said and the relationship between alcohol use and breast cancer risk is linear, meaning the risk continues to go up the more we drink. Fortunately, when you decrease your drinking, you also decrease your risk.
Additionally, the type of alcohol consumed does not make a difference to cancer risk.
Ethanol is ethanol. Your body doesnt care, Martinez said.
One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.
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How You Can Help To Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
- Measure your current level of drinking using the drinks calculator on askaboutalcohol.ie
- Try keeping track of what youre drinking with a drinks diary note how much you drink, when, and how you felt afterwards.
- Stay within the weekly guidelines for low risk drinking
- If drinking at home, use a drinks measure to calculate how much you are pouring.
- Buy smaller wine glasses, as it will make it easier to drink less and keep track of how much youre drinking. A big wine glass can hold two standard drinks or more.
- Dont get involved in rounds. This means you can drink at your own pace and stay more in control when youre out.
- Do something else! Try and think of ways to spend time with friends that dont have to involve drinking.
Cancer Risk: Bottle Of Wine Equals 5
April 3, 2019 — Drinking a bottle of wine each week is the same as smoking five to 10 cigarettes a week when it comes to raising the risk of getting cancer, according to a new study thatâs gotten widespread mainstream news coverage.
The United Kingdom study was both lambasted and praised by experts approached by Medscape Medical News.
For women, drinking one bottle of wine per week increased the absolute lifetime risk of cancer to the same level as smoking 10 cigarettes a week, largely driven by a higher risk of breast cancer.
Among men, drinking a bottle of wine each week boosted the absolute lifetime risk of cancer equal to smoking five cigarettes.
The findings were published online March 28 in BMC Public Health. While many published reports and research have looked at the cancer risks of both cigarettes and alcohol, this is the first paper to compare them head-to-head. “We simply performed a calculation based on data from previous large ⦠studies,” says lead author Theresa Hydes, PhD, a hepatology clinical fellow at the University Hospital Southampton, England. She says the cigarettes equivalent was used primarily to help raise public awareness of the cancer risk of alcohol.
“The public associates alcohol with liver disease but are generally not aware that it is the fifth leading cause of cancer and, of course, drinking rates are continuing to increase in many countries,” Hydes said.
Two experts not involved in the study had different opinions of it.
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Want To Meet Me For A Drink Grab A Glass Of Wine And Discuss The Day And Life In General
In my pre-breast cancer days, I loved my red wine. Whether catching up with a friend or sharing a meal with my husband, a glass of a robust red was de rigueur. Occasionally Id sip dry Chardonnay, but those peppery, heavy Zins stole my heart.
On two separate trips to Europe, wine figured prominently in the itinerary. Visiting Burgundy, France and the Tuscan region of Italy, how could it not?
One glorious afternoon in Italy, my husband and I toured an obscure winery.
We tasted a variety of wines with a group of folks wed met at a cooking class earlier that day. Someone suggested this hidden gem, and we eagerly tagged along. We all knew each other only from the few hours wed cooked pasta together. Its a memory Ill treasure forever.
In this precious life there are so many simple pleasures to enjoy. A glass of really good wine is one.
The Link Between Alcohol And Breast Cancer
Alcohol is not the leading risk factor for breast cancer. In addition, drinking is more closely tied to a number of other illnesses than it is to breast cancer. That doesn’t mean that it can’t play a notable role.
If a woman consumes 10 grams of alcohol per day , her risk of breast cancer increases by 7%. And for every additional 10 grams daily, that risk continues to rise by another 7%.
Binge drinking and/or heavy drinking , especially at a young age, increase the chance of developing breast cancer later in life. Heavy drinking also affects the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
But moderate drinkers are not off the hook: 18% of alcohol-related breast cancers are associated with light alcohol consumption .
Alcohol affects females differently than it affects males, often resulting in more serious health consequences for women. However, while alcohol is associated with about 8% of newly diagnosed breast cancers and about 7% of breast cancer deaths overall, in men specifically, it is associated with 16% of breast cancers.
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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Breast Cancer
Cut back on alcohol: When it comes to alcohol and reducing your risk of breast cancer, no amount of alcohol is completely risk-free but the less you drink the lower the risk.
Be active: Exercise and physical activity reduces the risk of breast cancer.
Stay a healthy weight: Staying a healthy weight is especially important in reducing the risk of breast cancer after the menopause as well as reducing the risk of other cancers.
Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding lowers the risk of developing breast cancer. The longer you breastfeed the more the risk is reduced.
Get screened: BreastCheck is the national breast screening programme. All women aged 50 to 64 are invited to have a free mammogram every 2 years. For more information see www.breastcheck.ie
What Are The Guidelines For Alcohol Use
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 20202025,external icon recommend that if you drink alcohol at all, drink in moderationno more than one drink a day for women, and no more than two drinks a day for men. If you dont drink, dont start drinking because of any possible health benefits.
Dont drink at all if you
- Are under the legal drinking age.
- Are pregnant or may be pregnant.
- Have health problems that could be made worse by drinking.
- Are doing things like driving that could be dangerous with alcohol.
Its safest not to drink if you are on any medication, including cancer treatment.external icon If youre taking prescription medicine, ask your doctor if its safe before drinking alcohol.
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Effects On Other Harmful Chemicals
Alcohol may help other harmful chemicals, such as those in tobacco smoke, enter the cells lining the upper digestive tract more easily. This might explain why the combination of smoking and drinking is much more likely to cause cancers in the mouth or throat than smoking or drinking alone.
In other cases, alcohol may slow the bodys ability to break down and get rid of some harmful chemicals.
Wines Risks And Rewards
Research has shown that alcohol in moderate amounts, specifically red wine, may have some benefits to heart health, may help prevent Alzheimers disease and may improve overall health. Because moderation is key, the American Cancer Society, along with the federal governments dietary guidelines, recommend no more than one drink a day for women and two for men.
I think we all underestimate our intake, says Sharon Orrange, MD, a clinical associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and a primary care physician at Keck Medicine of USC. Its seven drinks a week for women. Men can have two drinks a night. I tell my patients to pick two to three nights during the week say Monday, Tuesday, Thursday that theyre not going to drink at all.
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But What About Recurrence
Before you head to the bar, however, keep in mind that Li didnât look at whether drinking alcohol could trigger a recurrence, either local or metastatic. He only looked at whether drinking could be linked to death â from breast cancer or something else.
âThere are other studies that have linked alcohol consumption to risks of having both a breast cancer recurrence or of developing a second breast cancer,â he said. âThese are also important outcomes because they typically lead to more treatment, potentially including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and so they can take significant physical and emotional tolls.â
Li specifically studies how lifestyle factors like alcohol use, obesity and smoking can affect the risk of contracting breast cancer.
His 2009 study revealed breast cancer survivors who smoked and drank more than one drink a day were seven times more likely to get an ER+ breast cancer in their other breast than women who drank fewer than seven drinks a week and didnât smoke.
Breast cancer oncologist and researcher Dr. Julie Gralow said she wasnât surprised by Liâs findings.
âWeâve never had data about alcohol intake after a breast cancer diagnosis,â she said. âSo this is new information. But frankly, Iâm not surprised. Iâve always told my patients that data on alcohol intake was much stronger regarding incidence of breast cancer versus recurrence.â
What’s Been The Reaction To This Report
Cancer experts say the findings don’t tell us anything new about the link between alcohol and breast cancer, which is already well known.
But if you can, to stack the odds in your favour, they say it is a good idea to have some alcohol-free days during every week and not to increase your drinking.
However, Cancer Research UK says there is no need be alarmed and “go teetotal”.
It is also important to look at the bigger picture.
Drinking alcohol has a greater effect on the risks of several other cancers – including mouth, liver and bowel – than it does on breast cancer, so there is no reason to become fixated on alcohol.
Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, says the risks have “to be set against whatever pleasure women might obtain from their drinking”.
The report does not provide absolute risks and as such, Prof Sir David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge, said it did not seem a good basis for recommending that women give up alcohol completely.
However, Dr Anne McTiernan, lead report author and cancer expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said the evidence regarding breast cancer was clear.
“Having a physically active lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life and limiting alcohol are all steps women can take to lower their risk.”
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