Alcohol
should be avoided for breast cancer
Moderate to sizeable alcohol intake has been shown to contribute to the risks of colorectal cancer, upper aerodigestive (mouth, esophagus, larynx, and pharynx) cancers, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, and melanoma. On the other hand, some studies have found inverse associations between alcohol drinking and renal cell cancer, thyroid cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk. Moderate alcohol consumption also is associated with lower levels of cardiovascular risk and type 2 diabetes in women. Several studies have found that those who consume an average of one or two drinks per day tend to have lower all cause mortality than those who either do not drink or consume three or more drinks per day. Folate or folic acid was initially reported to reduce the alcohol consumption-related risk of breast cancer, however recent studies have failed to convincingly confirm this.
Breast cancer-related effects of
drinking
alcohol
Alcohol drinking is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer. Unlike some other risk factors which may require decades to result in invasive breast cancer, alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer for younger women. Heavy alcohol consumption has been found to increase the risk of progression to breast cancer among postmenopausal women with benign breast disease. Alcohol consumption by breast cancer survivors has been found to increase the risk of new breast cancer in the other breast, as well as distant recurrence.
Alcohol consumption has been found to promote premenopausal tumor development in a mouse model of HER2 overexpressing breast cancer. Among postmenopausal women, alcohol consumption is more strongly associated with lobular breast cancer than ductal breast cancer and with ER+ disease than ER- disease.
Tamoxifen use appears to amplify the alcohol-related risk for postmenopausal breast cancer survivors who consume alcohol. Hormone replacement therapy may also amplify the breast cancer-related risk of drinking.
Drinking red wine is on balance harmful despite the presence of chemopreventative substances such as resveratrol in red wine. The question of whether wine consumption, and red wine in particular, is safer than other types of alcoholic drinks has been addressed in several population studies. Almost no studies have found a difference in breast cancer risk based type of drink (beer, wine, hard liquor). The increase in breast cancer risk derives from the ethanol content of alcoholic drinks. The other compounds found in drinks, including the polyphenols in beer and wine, do not appear to greatly influence the risk.
As few as three drinks per week have been found to increase both the risk of breast cancer and the risk of recurrence (most of the women were wine drinkers). The relationship between alcohol and breast cancer risk depends in part on a woman's individual genetic makeup; for example, fast metabolizers of alcohol have been shown to have a higher risk of breast cancer from a given level of alcohol intake than slow metabolizers. Consuming several drinks at once may be more risky than limiting consumption to one drink per session. Based on the evidence to date, a glass of wine with food every other day might be a safe level of consumption.
Tags: alcohol,
aromataseActivity,
beer,
cardiovascular,
folate,
lobularBreastCancer,
resveratrol,
tamoxifen,
type2Diabetes,
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