Women who have family cases of breast cancer should refrain from consuming any type of alcohol, medical experts have concluded.
Based on the recent findings of a study conducted by researchers at the Harvard’s School of Public Health in Boston alcohol consumption increases cancer risks among female patients. Disease-correlated risks become all the more obvious in male and female patients who also smoke, doctors have concluded.
The goal of the recent research was to determine whether cancer risks are more prominent in female and male persons who also smoke. Results show that women who moderately drink alcohol have bigger chances of developing a type of cancer, particularly breast cancer, even if they have never smoked.
No significant link has been registered between one particular type of cancer and males’ daily alcohol intake, in the case of non-smoking patients. However, reports indicate that men who drink alcohol and smoke are more likely to develop prostate, colon or esophagus cancer.
Another interesting observation that medical experts have made during the recent study is that increased risks usually appear among moderate consumers of alcohol. The same pattern has not been noticed among heavy drinkers, although other factors may be at fault, as well, such as patients’ lack of interest for medical tests.
The study has been conducted with the participation of 88,084 women and 47,881 men, whose condition has been observed from 1980 until 2010. The research data has been collected with the help of three surveys, namely the Nurses’ Health Study from 1980, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1986 and the current research which was started in 2010.
Moderate drinking was defined as the daily consumption of one glass of alcoholic beverage. On the other hand, researchers used a four-glass standard when referring to heavy alcohol consumption.
Other pieces of information related to patients’ condition have been taken into consideration for the current study, such as, their age, their social status, their family history and their body mass index. Based on the collected data, medical researchers advise women who have had other cases of breast cancer in their family to limit their alcohol consumption below the recommended norms or to refrain from alcohol use altogether.
The study may be accessed in the British Medical Journal.
Image source: www.pixabay.com