Return to Index
Alcohol and Breast Cancer in Women
Thanks to decades of research, today’s consumers are armed with more information than ever before on how to lead healthy lives in an effort to prevent disease. Lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, and smoking, are often studied for their effects on disease risk. Another lifestyle factor—alcohol consumption—can also influence disease risk. And when it comes to the risk of breast cancer, some research has shown that consuming alcohol may increase that risk.
How Risk Factors Influence Disease
The more risk factors for breast cancer you have, the higher the risk of developing breast cancer. Keep in mind that having one or more risk factors doesn't guarantee you will get breast cancer. Many women who get breast cancer have none of the risk factors except age.
The cause of most cancers is unknown, but it is likely to be a combination of several factors that come together. Advancing age, family history, genetic mutations, and certain lifestyle choices increase your overall risk.
Some risk factors can't be changed, like your history or genetic make-up. Others, such as exercise, diet, or alcohol use, are changeable. You can reduce your risk of developing breast cancer by taking control of risk factors that you can change. Here is some information on how alcohol use increases your risk of breast cancer.
Researchers in England evaluated data from 53 previously published studies on alcohol and breast cancer. The review included data on more than 153,000 women and found a slightly increased relative risk (7%) of breast cancer in women who drank one drink per day compared with women who did not drink. Increasing alcohol consumption translated to increasing risk.
In addition to the British review, an ongoing research project on women's health, called the Nurses' Health Study, found support for the potential cancer-triggering effects of alcohol. Data gathered from 105,986 women found that those who drink alcohol have a small increased risk of developing invasive breast cancer. Data from the Nurses' Health Study also showed that women who drink moderately and take hormone replacement therapy may have an even higher risk of developing breast cancer.
Some research has suggested that the risk of cancer is increased in women you drink alcohol and have lower folate levels.
Overall, there is consistent evidence that moderate to high level of alcohol consumption is associated with higher incidence of breast cancer compared to no drinking.
Minimizing Risk and Keeping a Healthy Perspective
The American Cancer Society recommends that women at risk for breast cancer limit their alcohol consumption to no more than one drink per day. But there are no hard-and-fast guidelines regarding alcohol consumption with regard to breast cancer for every woman. That’s partly because more research is necessary. It’s also because each woman’s risk profile for breast cancer is different. Each individual woman must consider her risk factors together with her doctor and decide which lifestyle modifications may be necessary.
If you’re concerned about alcohol and your risk for breast cancer, see your doctor and discuss what your individual risk factors may be. Researchers point out that it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of alcohol consumption with regard not only to breast cancer, but to other conditions, as well.
Remember, too, that alcohol consumption is just one of many lifestyle factors that may influence disease. Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and not smoking—while not all necessarily related to breast cancer risk—are all important for overall health and well-being.
American Cancer Society
National Cancer Institute
BC Cancer Agency
Canadian Cancer Society
Alcohol use and cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/dietandphysicalactivity/alcohol-use-and-cancer. Updated February 12, 2014. Accessed November 6, 2015.
Breast cancer in women. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated June 18, 2015. Accessed November 6, 2015.
Chen WY, Colditz GA, Rosner B, et al. Use of postmenopausal hormones, alcohol, and risk for invasive breast cancer. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137(10):798-804.
Chen WY, Rosner B, Hankinson SE, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Moderate alcohol consumption during adult life, drinking patterns, and breast cancer risk. JAMA. 2011;306(17):1884-1890.
Ellison RC. Alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. Evidence-based Healthcare: A Scientific Approach to Health Policy. Churchill Livingstone, Inc.; 2002;47-48.
Hamajima N, Hirose K, Tajima K, et al. Alcohol, tobacco, and breast cancer: collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 58,515 women with breast cancer and 95,067 women without the disease. Br J Cancer. 2002;87:1234-1245.
Oyesanmi O, Snyder D, Sullivan N, et al. Alcohol consumption and cancer risk: understanding possible causal mechanisms for breast and colorectal cancers. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Report). 2010;(197):1-151.
Singletary KW, Gapstur SM. Alcohol and breast cancer: review of epidemiologic and experimental evidence and potential mechanisms. JAMA. 2001;286(17):2143-2151.
Terry MB, Zhang FF, Kabat G et al. Lifetime alcohol intake and breast cancer risk. Ann Epidemiol. 2006;16(3):230-240.
- Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD
- Review Date: 10/2015
- Update Date: 11/06/2015