Breast Cancer and Alcohol Consumption

According to World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, alcohol beverages are considered carcinogenic to humans. There is more and more convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer.

It is a well-accepted fact that heavy alcohol consumption will increase the risk of breast cancer in women but now research shows that even moderate and minimal use is not safe. In other words, there is no safe limit when it comes to alcohol consumption.

Many women reading this blog maybe dismayed and confused by contradictory information about the benefits of alcohol use. A word of caution here: the industry has been trying to promote alcohol consumption in women for the last two decades with great success.  Many have been convinced that moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial to their health and in particular when it comes to heart disease prevention. Thus women in mass started consuming alcoholic beverages and in particular wine at a much higher rate than ever before in history. Yet it turns out that it is not the alcohol that protects your heart but the flavonoids and antioxidants contained in wine that are beneficial.

Alcoholic beverages are known to promote an estrogenic effect in your body by aromatizing (converting) testosterone to estradiol. Estradiol is a cancer promoting estrogen fuelling as much as 80% of all breast cancers. In addition, alcohol can alter blood sugar levels, impair reproductive functions, and interfere with calcium metabolism.

Several studies presented evidence that bacteria in our mouth produce acetaldehyde, which acts as a carcinogen, when they come in contact with alcohol. Even light consumption of alcohol such as 1 glass of wine per day increases the risk; and even using mouthwash that contains alcohol is implicated in higher incidence of breast cancer. Thousands of yearly deaths are directly related to women drinking alcohol beverages.

Wine and alcohol consumption has been a part of many cultures since ancient times. It has been associated with religious rituals, celebrations, social occasions and even medicinal use. However, the sharp rise in alcohol consumption in women to unprecedented levels in history and a higher incident of cancer, particularly breast cancer rates, in the last few decades are not coincidental. Regular alcohol consumption is just as dangerous as cigarette smoking. I hope that we do not have to wait for several decades, like we did with cigarette smoking, to understand the dangers of alcohol and breast cancer.

I have always contended that it is not something that we do once in a while, like having a glass of wine at a birthday party or such occasions, that is going to be detrimental to our health. Rather it is what we do on regular basis, and I might add something that we crave, that is going to get us in the end.  Please consider having a glass of juice instead of a glass of wine next time.

Cheers – To Life Without Breast Cancer!