Alcohol Able to Triger Breast Cancer Risk

The risk of a woman developing breast cancer usually increases when a family history of breast cancer. However, this risk can be reduced by changing lifestyle and behavior, particularly in terms of alcohol consumption.

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed that adolescent girls with a family history of breast cancer have a higher risk of suffering from cancer with increasing alcohol consumption.

"The most common question we often hear from women with a history of breast cancer is how to prevent breast cancer in our daughters," says epidemiologist Graham A. Colditz, MD, PhD, a research published online in the journal Cancer.
"These findings could be a strategy for us to lower the risk of breast cancer by limiting alcohol consumption," he added.

Researchers claim, this is the first finding that the relationship between alcohol consumption in adolescents with risk of breast cancer. The reason for this mostly just research linking alcohol to breast cancer risk in women ages 50's, 40's, 60's and the risk of invasive breast cancer, instead of the initial risk (benign lesions) that can lead to invasive breast cancer.

In a previous study published the Journal of the American Medical Association, which also acts as Colditz researchers found, there has been a moderate increase in risk of breast cancer by consuming 3-6 glasses of alcohol per week on every woman, irrespective of whether he has a family history of breast cancer .
"In this study, we have tried to decipher the effects of alcohol on women who have a history of breast cancer and women without a history of breast cancer. We see that the strongest effects of alcohol occur in women with a family history of breast cancer," said Colditz.

In his research Colidtz also find interesting facts, which was not found to increase the risk of benign breast lesions in young women (with no history of breast cancer) related to alcohol consumption. However, they seem obvious risk with increased body mass index in childhood, adolescence waist circumference and height.
The findings showed that there are differences of risk factors between women with a history of breast cancer and those without.

"Height linked to risk of breast cancer., And some data shows the explosive growth led to a higher risk of cancer later in life. Obviously, it's not something we can control. However if we can understand what is going on hormones and processes in the body , and the role of physical activity and diet, we may be able to modify some of the accumulated risk of early breast cancer, "he said.