The risk of breast cancer and drinking? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and every year we like to remind our readers that there is a strong correlation between drinking and increasing one’s risk of breast cancer. Hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and the numbers are increasing each year. It’s important for women to know that there are behaviors that can reduce her risk as well as others that increase her risk, one being drinking.
So how much drinking increases the risk of breast cancer? According to the British Journal of Cancer, every drink counts. Even one drink (an ounce of liquor, eight ounces of beer, or three ounces of wine) can increase the risk of breast cancer. A recent study in the BJC found, “a woman’s risk of breast cancer increases by six percent for every extra alcoholic drink consumed on a daily basis.” And a woman who regularly has four drinks a day increases her risk by thirty percent. Postmenopausal women can significantly increase their risk of cancer up to thirty percent with as little as one drink a day.
Despite breast cancer often being related to family history and age, there are some factors that can be controlled to reduce the risk of breast cancer:
- Alcohol consumption: when it comes to breast cancer and drinking, limit alcohol to reduce the risk.
- Weight: keep excess weight off to reduce the risk.
- Diet: maintain a healthy diet to reduce the risk.
- Exercise: regular exercise helps to reduce the risk.
If you find that you are consuming more alcohol than you would like, or you are worried that your alcohol consumption may increase your risk of breast cancer, contact one of our specialists to help determine how you can get control of the situation.
