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Just One Small Drink Increases Breast Cancer Risk

CBN

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Ladies, put down that drink and put on your gym shoes.

Scientists have known for a while now that alcohol is a carcinogen.  But what's new, is how very little alcohol raises the risk of breast cancer.  Meanwhile, exercise, especially vigorous exercise, greatly reduces that risk. 

When it comes to breast cancer, new research shows drinking just a tiny amount significantly raises the risk.  According to to a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund  drinking just 10 grams of alcohol a day can increase the risk of breast cancer in older women (postmenopausal) by 9% and younger women (premenopausal) by 5%.  Ten grams is .35 ounces. A standard drink has 14 grams of alcohol.  Research shows more alcohol is even more damaging. 

The amount of alcohol in a drink varies, depending on the type.  For example, 10 grams is in one beer, a small glass of wine and one ounce of liquor. 

"I was most surprised by the alcohol result, that risk increases at just one drink a day, on average," said Dr. Anne McTiernan, a lead author of the new report and a cancer prevention researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

"The increase with one drink a day was small, but the risk goes up from there. So that's why AICR recommends no more than one alcohol drink a day for women to reduce risk for cancer."

The researchers examined 120 previous studies looking at a total of 12 million women. 

Alcohol can damage DNA. When that happens, it opens the door for cancer cells to develop.  Alcohol also can increase the hormone estrogen, leading to certain types of cancers like breast cancer.  

Breast cancer is the leading type of cancer in American women. The National Cancer Institute says 12% of women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.   

The research also found that being overweight in adulthood can significantly increase the risk for developing breast cancer.

On the flip side, exercise can go a long way to reducing your risk.  The researchers discovered that any amount of exercise is better than none, but the more vigorous exercise, such as running or biking, led to an even greater reduction in risk.

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