Do you typically unwind at the end of a long day with a glass of wine or a cold beer? New research suggests that drinking one alcoholic beverage a day increases a woman’s breast cancer risk.
According to a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research, drinking an average of 10 grams of alcohol a day — which is the equivalent of a small glass of wine or beer — is linked to a 5 percent increase in breast cancer risk for premenopausal women and a 9 percent increase in postmenopausal women. A standard drink contains 14 grams of alcohol.
Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Before you toss out your liquor and swear off booze, it’s important to put this news in perspective, says Dr. Anne McTiernan, a lead author of the report and cancer prevention expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. McTiernan says in a statement:
“We’re not telling everybody to abstain. We’re not saying anything other than small amounts do increase the risk for breast cancer.”
This is not the first study to link beverage consumption to cancer risk. For example, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the WHO, made headlines last year when it revealed that drinking excessively hot beverages — such as coffee — can be dangerous:
In “WHO: It’s Not the Coffee in Hot Coffee That Causes Cancer,” we reported:
Before you brew another pot of coffee, you should know that the IARC is warning that consuming very hot drinks (hotter than 149 degrees Fahrenheit) on a regular basis — including water, coffee, tea, etc. — can potentially put people at risk.
For more information on cancer and cancer risk, check out the following:
- “Study Finds Genes Determine One-Third of Cancer Risk“
- “How Sugar May Fuel the Spread of Breast Cancer“
- “4 Lifestyle Changes Could Cut Cancer Risk in Half“
- “8 More Types of Cancer Linked to Being Overweight“
What do you think of the study link between breast cancer and drinking alcohol? Sound off below or on Facebook.
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