Could Young Women that Drink be at a Higher Risk for Breast Cancer?

Statistics show that various factors can increase your risk for breast cancer, including age, gender and genetic traits.

Yet a recent study shows that women who consumed alcohol between their first period and first pregnancy could also put some at a greater risk for this type of cancer.

In fact, the study shows that drinking between menarche and first pregnancy was associated with an 11 percent increased risk of breast and a 16 percent increased risk for benign breast disease when consuming 10 grams of alcohol per day, according to researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo.  

Alcohol consumption following pregnancy also showed a 9 percent increased risk of breast cancer. However, researchers note that the risk was not very significant.

Yet study authors are not certain of a direct link between the association of younger females and alcohol consumption.

Researchers looked at this risk for 91,005 women who participated in the Nurses' Health study II between the ages of 25 to 44 with no cancer history. All participants also received a medical questionnaire regarding medical and reproductive history and lifestyle. Follow-up responses were also reported.

Alcohol consumption was broken down by the following age periods, according to Med Page Today: 17, 18 to 22, 23 to 30, and 31 to 40, as well as the total number of drinks that were consumed during different life periods, ranging from zero or less than one month to more than 40 per week. They were also asked about their alcohol consumption over the past year, cumulative average alcohol intake, intensity of drinking and estimated cumulative drinking before and after their first pregnancy.

Findings showed that compared to nondrinkers, those that drank between menarche and first pregnancy were younger and had an older age for their first pregnancy and were thus more likely to have a first-degree family history of breast cancer.

The study showed there were 1,609 cases of breast cancer significantly associated with drinking between the first period and first pregnancy. Nine hundred and seventy cases of benign breast disease were also found and linked to drinking before first pregnancy.

Could reducing alcohol consumption during this period be a way to possibly prevent breast cancer in some women? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.