Wednesday May 14, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Once again a new study in the International Journal of Cancer confirms that even light consumption of alcoholic beverages like wine and beer can increase risk of breast cancer.

The association between higher or moderate alcohol drinking and elevated risk of breast cancer has been established in previous studies of mostly white populations.  The new study suggests that other ethnic groups of drinkers are too at increased risk of breast cancer.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from 85,089 women enrolled in the Multiethnic Cohort in Hawaii and California who were followed for 12.4 years during which 3,885 cases of incident invasive breast cancer were identified.

Higher alcohol consumption was found correlated with elevated risk of breast cancer, that is, compared with non-drinkers, those who drank 5 to 9.9 grams, 10 to 14.9 grams, 15 to 29.9 grams and greater than 30 grams of alcohol from various alcoholic beverages like wine and beer per day were 23%, 21%, 12% and 53% more likely to develop breast cancer, respectively. 

The association was found positive in African American, Japanese American, Latino and white women, but not Native Hawaiian women.  

The association was neither found in "those with tumors that were both positive and negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER/PR)."

The researchers concluded "light to moderate alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk, and demonstrates this association in several ethnic groups besides whites, independent of ER/PR status."

The study was conducted by Song-Yi Park from University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, HI, USA and colleagues.

Alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, and liqueurs have been recognized by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as a carcinogen, meaning that exposure to them can increase risk of cancers including breast cancer.  (David Liu)

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