30 Aug Breast Cancer Risk: Increased by Pre- First Pregnancy Alcohol Intake
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ying Liu, MD, PhD
Instructor, Division of Public Health Sciences
Department of Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
660 South Euclid Ave Campus Box 8100
St. Louis, MO 63110
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Answer: Alcohol intake between menarche (first menstrual period) and first pregnancy was consistently associated with increased risks of breast cancer and proliferative benign breast disease. For every 10 gram/day alcohol intake (approximately a drink a day) during this specific time period, the risk for breast cancer increased by 11% and the risk for proliferative benign breast disease increased by 16%.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Answer: The adverse effect of pre-pregnancy alcohol intake on breast cancer risk was stronger as the time period between menarche and first pregnancy lengthened.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Answer: Young women should reduce their alcohol drinking to less than one drink a day, especially during this critical time period, as a key tool to reduce their breast cancer risk.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Answer: Future work is needed to resolve what accounts for this association and what we could do to counteract the adverse effect of pre-pregnancy drinking on breast cancer risk.
Citation:
Alcohol Intake Between Menarche and First Pregnancy: A Prospective Study of Breast Cancer Risk
Ying Liu, Graham A. Colditz,, Bernard Rosner, Catherine S. Berkey, Laura C. Collins, Stuart J. Schnitt, James L. Connolly, Wendy Y. Chen, Walter C. Willett, and Rulla M. Tamimi
Alcohol Intake Between Menarche and First Pregnancy: A Prospective Study of Breast Cancer Risk JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst first published online August 28, 2013 doi:10.1093/jnci/djt213
Last Updated on March 25, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD