Breast Cancer and Alcohol

It's looking bad for alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. Even one glass of alcohol per day increases one's risk by 4%. Generally women should not drink more than 1 alcoholic drink per day. Women who are already at risk for breast cancer are better off avoiding alcohol altogether. This was a review of 113 studies published in the March 28 issue of Alcohol and Alcoholism. Although the mechanism is not known, the authors speculated that because alcohol increases estrogen levels, the estrogen may have a carcinogenic effect on breast tissue.