Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Many of us enjoy a glass of wine at dinner and some recent studies have indicated that a small amount of alcohol might help lower the risk of heart disease. But it may be too soon to call alcohol a health food – especially for women,

A new study reported today in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association says that women who averaged three to six drinks a week increase their risk of invasive breast cancer by about 15 percent. Heavier drinkers had an even higher risk: up to 50 percent higher in women who averaged more than 30 drinks a week.

The researchers also found that binge drinking – which is increasingly common, especially among younger women – also significantly raised a woman's chances of getting breast cancer.

The scientists don't know why alcohol raises risk, but they theorize it could be connected to alcohol's ability to raise estrogen levels in the blood. Estrogen fuels hormone-dependent breast cancer.

The type of alcohol a woman drank didn't matter – only the amount and frequency.

This study is important because it is based on decades of data from the Nurses' Health Study, which followed a cohort of 121,700 female nurses from 1980 to 2008.

This doesn't mean that you should never drink again, but it does indicate that you should watch how much and how often you drink. Moderation – no more than one drink a day – is key. As a guideline, a drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.