MONDAY, March 9, 2009 (Health.com) – Attention red wine drinkers: Drinking moderate amounts of any kind of alcohol (including wine, beer, and liquor) is associated with a slightly increased breast cancer risk—and the rosy-hued beverage is no exception. That’s the conclusion of a new study that dashes any hope that red wine is less likely than other alcohol-containing drinks to increase breast cancer risk, or that it might even protect against the disease.
“If a woman chooses red wine, she should do so because she likes the flavor, not because she thinks doing so will reduce her breast cancer risk,” said Polly A. Newcomb, PhD, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, who led the research. “It might be good for other things, but it definitely is not conferring any protection against breast cancer.”
There’s good evidence showing that women who consume alcohol have a slightly greater risk of breast cancer than teetotalers, and the risk is higher with heavier drinking. But research in animals and some human studies had suggested that red wine might not carry the same risks as other forms of alcohol or could even be protective. This is certainly possible, Newcomb and her team noted in their report in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, because red wine contains more potentially beneficial plant chemicals, such as resveratrol, than white wine does.
To find out if this was true, the researchers looked at 6,327 women with breast cancer and 7,558 women who had never been diagnosed with the disease. Risk rose with the amount of alcohol consumed, no matter whether it was wine, beer or liquor. The heaviest drinkers—women who reported having 14 or more drinks a week—were 24 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than nondrinkers. In comparison, smoking may increase the risk of breast cancer by 32 percent, and having a close relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with the disease is associated with a 200 percent higher risk.
Next page: Lighter drinking potentially a problem too
Comments (7)
I would be interested in knowing whether the red wine risk factors were different between the group of women who had already been diagnosed with breast cancer vs. those who have never been diagnosed.
What was the age group used for this study? Pre or Post Menopausal?
Hi Pam, I’m an editor at Health.com. The study included both pre- and postmenopausal women. Thank you for your interest in this story! Theresa
Why is it that the things we enjoy are the things that are “bad” for us? I enjoy red wine, in moderation, and I don’t intend to stop drinking it. Life is too short to deny yourself something pleasurable for fear that you may (or may not) incur a certain disease.
Is it true that Honey is such a great healer, is it every type of Honey or a specific type of Honey,
Thanks
I might have missed it, but what was the duration of this focus group (years/months). Also was the group chosen from one specific area/region or selected randomly throughout the US?
Is FOLIC ACID the best for BREAST CANCER PREVENTION?