Drinking small amounts of alcohol linked to breast cancer

A new study reports that drinking small amounts of alcohol may increase the risk of breast cancer.

A 51 percent increased risk of breast cancer was seen in women who had three or more glasses of alcohol a day, while a 32 percent increased risk was reported for women who drank one to two drinks a day. A 7 percent increased risk occurred in woman who drank less than one glass a day.

The researchers found that the risk was similar whether the women studied drank primarily beer, wine, or spirits.

The National Cancer Institute studied more than 184,000 postmenopausal women for an average of seven years. The head of the research team was Dr. Jasmine Lew.

See the link above for information on what the researchers think may be the mechanisms involved causing the association between drinking alcohol and breast cancer. The link also has details on a second study that looked at other possible mechanisms.