Health Diaries > The Breast Cancer Blog
September 27, 2007
All Types of Alcohol Raise Breast Cancer Risk
New research suggests that three drinks per day of any type of alcohol raises a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 30 percent.
In the past, researchers weren't sure if certain types of alcohol were riskier than others, but they now believe it doesn't matter which kind is consumed. Wine, beer, and spirits all appear to contribute to the risk.
Dr. Yan Li, the lead researcher and an oncologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California said, "if you drink three or more drinks a day [your breast cancer risk] -- rather than one in eight -- will be one in six."
The increase in risk was similar no matter which type of beverage was typically consumed. "It makes no difference whether women drink wine, beer or liquor in terms of their risk of breast cancer," Li said. "It's the alcohol itself. And it's the quantity consumed that increases breast cancer risk."
Though the new research found no protective properties from red wine, other studies suggest the resveratrol in red wine is protective against cancer. Some red wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, contain more resveratrol than others and it isn't clear which kind of red wine women in the latest study drank.
August 25, 2007
Acrylamide Not Linked to Breast Cancer
A new study involving 100,000 U.S. women has found that acrylamide at levels found in food is not linked to breast cancer. Acrylamide is highest in fried and baked foods like French fries and potato chips. It is also found in coffee.
The leader of the study, Lorelei Mucci, ScD, said:
"At levels consumed in the diet, it appears unlikely that acrylamide in foods is related to breast cancer risk ... Although we do not rule out that very high levels of acrylamide could cause cancer, it appears that at the levels found in the diet, it is unlikely."
The same group of researchers also found no connection between acrylamide in food and bladder, kidney, and colon cancer.
Still, many experts agree that more studies on acrylamide in the diet and a link to cancer need to be done before the risk can be completely ruled out.
July 11, 2007
Typical Western Diet Increases Breast Cancer Risk
A new study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention has found that post-menopausal Chinese women who eat a Western diet loaded with meat, dairy products, and sugar have a 60 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who eat a traditional Chinese diet heavy in vegetables and soy.
The Western diet raised the risk especially high for estrogen-receptor positive tumors, raising the risk of developing this kind of breast cancer by 90 percent.
The same increased risks were not found for pre-menopausal women eating a typical Western diet.
Marilyn Tseng of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia said: "Most studies have tended to look at single dietary factors. And what was unique about this study is that we tried to describe patterns of intake -- foods that go together, that seem to occur together in the diet."
