Bambi Eloriaga-Amago
People with a family history of cancer might want to quit the habit of drinking alcoholic beverages. Results of a recently concluded study show that drinking, even light to moderate amounts, may lead to a heightened risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ,) collates findings from two studies conducted by researchers from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Brighham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants in the study, a total of 135,000 people, were tracked and observed over a period of thirty years.
After taking into account other risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and family history of the disease, researchers found that light to moderate drinking—less than two drinks a day for women, and three to four drinks daily for men—led to an increased cancer risk.
Interestingly enough, the study also showed no heightened risks for men who had never smoked. For women however, regardless of if they were smokers or not, the study showed a 13 percent increased risk of cancer. Sensitivity of breast tissue may account for the increased risk.
The research states, “Breast tissue might be more susceptible to alcohol than other organs. Probable explanations involve increased estrogen and androgen levels.”
Dr. Jürgen Rehm, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, in an accompanying editorial in the BMJ further expounds, “People with a family history of cancer, especially women with a family history of breast cancer, should consider reducing their alcohol intake to below recommended limits, or even abstaining altogether, given the now well established link between moderate drinking and alcohol related cancers.”
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, seemingly agrees. “This research confirms the results of previous studies showing that there is no such thing as a safe level of drinking when it comes to the risk of cancer.”
