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Alcohol: possible cause of breast cancer |
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Thursday, 03 April 2008 |
by ERICA DURHAM
Intern News Reporter
BBC News reported women who drink more alcohol than the recommended limit are 50 percent more likely to get breast cancer.
The recommended limit of alcohol per week is four beers.
One 12-ounce beer has about 3.5 units of alcohol, and the recommended limit is 14 units of alcohol.
“It is not fair to comment on the scientific merits of the information because it has not been published
yet,” said Dr. Robert S. Ellison, a doctor at Student Health Services.
According to BBC News, alcohol accounts for around 4 percent of breast cancer in the developed
world.
According to the Charity Cancer Research UK, alcohol accounts for around 2,000 cases of breast
cancer each year in the United Kingdom alone.
“Alcohol is a classic case of a little may be better than none but a lot is worse than a little,” Ellison
said. “Moderate consumption, one drink a day for women and two for men, has been linked in many
large, long-term studies to lower mortality rates, especially from heart attacks and strokes, and may
also lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes and gallstones,” Ellison said.
There have been numerous studies about the effects of alcohol on women.
“But alcohol even at moderate intakes raises the risk of birth defects and breast cancer, possibly
because it interferes with folic acid, an essential B vitamin,” Ellison said. “And heavy alcohol
consumption is associated with several lethal cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, hemorrhagic stroke,
hypertension, dementia and some forms of heart disease.”
The recommended amount of alcohol is 14 units.
“A 5-ounce glass of wine contains about 3.5 units of alcohol, according to the BBC article, so that
would be equivalent to about 12-ounce beer or 1-ounce liquor. Fourteen units per week is not that much
for many college age women or men at [Appalachian] to consume,” Ellison said.
Many students don’t realize quite how much alcohol they drink.
“However, the point is well made that men and women underestimate the amount of alcohol they
consume,” Ellison said.
There are many different effects of alcohol and while the short term effects may be for social purposes
the long term effects can be grave.
“Be aware that your short term decisions about alcohol consumption have both short term and long
term ramifications,” Ellison said. “If there is a strong family history of breast cancer, young women
should take every precaution not to increase their risk factors and abstaining from alcohol may be a
simple choice with profound benefit.”
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