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Alcohol and breast cancer
By admin | December 9, 2007
Believed to increase risk
The WCRF panel report Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective finds the evidence “convincing” that alcoholic drinks increase the risk of the following cancers: mouth, pharynx and larynx, oesophagus, colorectum (men), breast (pre- and postmenopause).
Head and neck cancers
Head and neck cancers, as used in this article, mean cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx and larynx. The U.S. National Cancer Institute states that drinking alcohol, especially above the recommended maximum intake, increases the risk of these cancers in both men and women. “Also, using alcohol with tobacco is riskier than using either one alone, because it further increases the chances of getting cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus.” The International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium co-ordinates a meta-study on the issue.
A study looking at laryngeal cancer and beverage type concluded, “This study thus indicates that in the Italian population characterized by frequent wine consumption, wine is the beverage most strongly related to the risk of laryngeal cancer.”
The American Cancer Society estimates that, as a proportion of all cancer deaths in the US in 2006, cancer of the mouth (oral cavity) will represent 1.3 percent, of the esophagus will be 2.4 percent, of the pharynx will constitute slightly under one-half of one percent, and of the larynx will be about six-tenths of one percent.
Although they are also located in the head or neck, alcohol consumption is not a risk factor for brain cancer, eye cancer, pituitary gland cancer, thymus cancer, salivary gland cancer, thyroid cancer, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer, or adenoid cancer (see below).
Breast cancer
Alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer in women. A review concludes that “studies confirm previous observations that there appears to be an association between alcohol intake and increased risk of breast cancer in women. On balance, there was a weak association between the amount of alcohol consumed and the relative risk.”
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) concludes that “Chronic alcohol consumption has been associated with a small (averaging 10 percent) increase in a woman’s risk of breast cancer. According to these studies, the risk appears to increase as the quantity and duration of alcohol consumption increases. Other studies, however, have found no evidence of such a link. ” The nature and inconsistency of the evidence has called into question the existence of any causal link between moderate alcohol consumption and breast cancer.
The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products concludes, “The new research estimates that a woman drinking an average of two units of alcohol per day has a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer 8% higher than a woman who drinks an average of one unit of alcohol per day. The risk of breast cancer further increases with each additional drink consumed per day. … The research also concludes that approximately 6% (between 3.2% and 8.8%) of breast cancers reported in the UK each year could be prevented if drinking was reduced to a very low level (i.e. less than 1 unit/week).”
It has been reported that “Two drinks daily increase the risk of getting breast cancer by about 25 percent.” (NCI) but the evidence is inconsistent. The Framingham study has tracked individuals since the 1940s. Data from that research found that drinking alcohol moderately did not increase breast cancer risk. Similarly, research by the Danish National Institute for Public Health found that moderate drinking had virtually no effect on breast cancer risk. Breast cancer constitutes about 7.3% of all cancers. Among women, breast cancer comprises 60% of alcohol-attributable cancers. One study suggests that women who frequently drink red wine may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Alcohol consumption has been shown to increase the rate of breast cancer in women, according to Robin Room.
A study of 17,647 nurses found that high drinking levels more than doubled risk of breast cancer. “The relative risk of breast cancer was 2.30 … for alcohol intake of 22–27 drinks per week, compared to 1–3 drinks per week. Among alcohol consumers, weekly alcohol intake increased the risk of breast cancer with 2% for each additional drink consumed. Weekend consumption increased the risk with 4% for each additional drink consumed Friday through Sunday.” Binge drinking of 4–5 drinks on the last weekday increased risk by 55%.
“The findings from this prospective study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk.”
A study showed that one or two alcoholic drinks a day increases the risk of breast cancer by 10 per cent compared with light drinkers who drank less than one drink a day. Women who have three or more drinks a day increase their risk of breast cancer by 30 per cent. The type of drink was not a factor. “A typical 50-year-old woman has a five-year breast cancer risk of about 3 percent. If her risk jumps by 30 percent, her individual risk is still only about 4 percent” reports the New York Times. It also has noted that “deaths from heart disease greatly exceed those caused by breast cancer. Each year more than 500,000 American women die of heart disease, compared with 43,500 who die from breast cancer” and that according to the American Cancer Society, “having one drink a day raises a woman’s risk of dying of breast cancer by 11 percent but diminishes overall mortality by 20 percent because of alcohol’s protective effects on the heart.”
“Folate intake counteracts breast cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption” and “women who drink alcohol and have a high folate intake are not at increased risk of breast cancer”. Those who have a high (200 micrograms or more per day) level of folate (folic acid or Vitamin B9) in their diet are not at increased risk of breast cancer compared to those who abstain from alcohol. A study of over 17,000 Australian women aged 40-69 over a period of about ten years found that those who consumed 40 grams of alcohol (about three to four drinks) per day have a higher risk of breast cancer than do women who abstain from alcohol. However, in women who take 200 micrograms of folate or folic acid (Vitamin B9) every day, the risk of breast cancer drops below that of alcohol abstainers.
A study on mice suggests that, when breast cancer is established, drinking as little as two alcoholic drinks a day increases the growth rate of tumors. Alcohol causes cancer cells’ blood vessels to grow which in turn fuels the growth of the tumor, a process known as angiogenesis.
Breast cancer in men
Breast cancer in men is rare as there is generally much less breast tissue. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the effect of alcohol varies between genders.
“Heavy alcohol intake increases the risk of breast cancer in men.” “If you drink heavy amounts of alcohol, you have a greater risk of breast cancer.”
Male breast cancer is very rare and, in Western populations, the incidence is less than one case per 100,000 men. Male Breast Cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer refers to cancers of the colon or rectum. Colorectal cancer constitutes about 9.7% of all cancers.The National Cancer Institute does not list alcohol as a risk factor.
The NIAAA reports that, “Epidemiologic studies have found a small but consistent dose-dependent association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer even when controlling for fiber and other dietary factors. Despite the large number of studies, however, causality cannot be determined from the available data.”
“Heavy alcohol use may also increase the risk of colorectal cancer” (NCI). One study found that “People who drink more 30 grams of alcohol per day (and especially those who drink more than 45 grams per day) appear to have a slightly higher risk for colorectal cancer.” Another found that “The consumption of one or more alcoholic beverages a day at baseline was associated with approximately a 70% greater risk of colon cancer.”
One study found that “While there was a more than twofold increased risk of significant colorectal neoplasia in people who drink spirits and beer, people who drank wine had a lower risk. In our sample, people who drank more than eight servings of beer or spirits per week had at least a one in five chance of having significant colorectal neoplasia detected by screening colonoscopy.”
Other research suggests that “to minimize your risk of developing colorectal cancer, it’s best to drink in moderation”
The EPIC study suggests that “people who drink 15 grams of alcohol a day - equivalent to about two units - have about a 10 percent increased risk of bowel cancer. Those who drank more than 30 grams of alcohol - equivalent to three to four units which is less than a couple of pints of strong lager - increased their bowel cancer risk by around 25 per cent.”
In “Moderate Alcohol Consumption Protects Against Colorectal Adenoma, ” Dr. Gregory Austin of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues found from an analysis of a case control study of patients who underwent a full colonoscopy that abstainers or non-drinkers had a 40% higher risk of adenoma than did those who consumed beer, wine, or liquor (distilled spirits) in moderation. The researchers conclude that “Individuals who consume moderate amounts of alcohol are at lower risk of colorectal adenomas than nondrinkers and heavy drinkers.” (Austin, Gregory, et al. Moderate Alcohol Consumption Protects Against Colorectal Adenoma. Paper presented at Digestive Diseases Week (DDW), May 24, 2006 , abstract M2263). Drinking may be a cause of earlier onset of colorectal cancer.
Topics: breast cancer |
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