ALCOHOL’S LINK TO BREAST CANCER: PREVENTION & AWARENESS
KEEPING BREAST-CANCER AWARENESS TOP OF MIND …
October was breast cancer awareness month but it’s important to think about this topic more than once a year, especially as we’re moving into the holiday season.
Breast cancer is a terrible disease that touches the lives of so many women across the United States and around the world far too frequently, and sadly, the cases continue to grow. In fact, the American Cancer Society recently posted that breast cancer is:
‘The most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers.
It is about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year.’
They go on to say there is a 1 in 8 chance a woman that you know is likely to be diagnosed with this form of cancer during their lifetime. It could be your mom, aunt, sister, best friend … or you. 💔
Therefore, it’s important to keep breast cancer an ongoing conversation, to raise awareness, compassion, support, and knowledge in the hope of reducing the cases in our loved ones.
That’s the purpose of this month’s blog article: to explore possible contributing factors to developing the disease and ways you and your loved ones can embrace prevention as part of your daily life so we can all live better futures.
This is where research and statistics are important and why I discuss them. So, you never need to ask, ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me?’
There’s no ‘one’ cause for breast cancer. Rather, as for many other types of cancers and diseases, the risks are a combination of factors, with the highest factors being a woman and getting older.
There are some contributing factors to developing breast cancer that you can’t change:
Being a woman
Getting older
Genetics
Your race or ethnicity
Your menstrual cycle and menopause
Having dense breasts
History of cancer
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States, and the rates of women contracting breast cancer continue to rise every year.
But here is the good news! There are some things you can do to lessen your risk. 🎉 Some risks that are known to contribute to breast cancer, are totally within your control. 😃
Here are some lifestyle choices you can make which can help reduce your risk of developing breast cancer:
Not being physically active (increases the risk)
Being overweight or obese (particularly after menopause) (increases the risk)
For women who want to have children: having your first child before you turn 30 years old (lowers the risk)
Drinking alcohol (increases the risk)
Smoking (increases the risk)
Exposure to certain chemicals (increases the risk)
Synthetic (non-bioidentical) forms of HRT such as MPA (Medroxyprogesterone) (are thought to increase the risk)
I think this is very positive. All these lifestyle choices not only have the potential to make you happier, more energetic, and get more enjoyment from life but also improve your health at the same time, helping to reduce your risk of breast cancer.
I follow an amazing female doctor on Instagram named Dr Liz O’Riordan. She’s not only a surgeon but also a breast cancer survivor – twice! Dr Liz understands the disbelief, grief and overwhelming fear attached to a positive diagnosis. Having gone through diagnoses and painful treatment herself, she is super passionate about raising awareness and helping women change their lifestyles to increase their chances of NOT contracting this disease.
One of the factors she highlights the most to women is the effect of drinking alcohol on contracting breast cancer is how drinking alcohol increases breast cancer risk.
She writes:
“It’s scary how many cancers are attributable to alcohol and obesity. We need to get better at having these difficult conversations – not blaming ourselves for what we did in the past, when we didn’t have this information, but using it to change our lifestyles now.”
Here’s what we know:
1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Early detection and diagnosis are essential for the best chance of survival.
Even better than early detection and diagnosis is prevention.
Drinking alcohol is a proven factor in developing breast cancer.
‘At least one in three cancer cases could be prevented, and the number of cancer deaths could be reduced significantly by choosing a cancer-smart lifestyle.
Each year, more than 13,000 cancer deaths are due to smoking, sun exposure, poor diet, alcohol, inadequate exercise or being overweight.
Fortunately, there are a number of simple lifestyle changes you can make to help reduce your risk of cancer.’
These are big numbers. One in three people can prevent their cancer just by living a healthier lifestyle, including removing alcohol from their lives.
Knowing this gives you power! It’s such a positive way to take some control over your body. It gives you the option to start asking yourself, ‘What is this cocktail/glass of beer/wine/spirits doing to my body? Is there a safer alternative? Maybe I’ll have a mocktail instead?’
While it’s natural to feel some guilt about your past drinking sessions, you should never ‘beat yourself up’ over your past choices, particularly if you weren’t aware of the potential future outcomes they could have on your health. We’ve all got a past and have made some less-than-great choices – I know I have! (You can read about my past relationship with alcohol and how it negatively impacted my life in my blog article, ‘Sipping on the Truth: Alcohol Awareness in April.’) Rather, this is an amazing opportunity to turn the tables and make informed decisions about what we feel is best for ourselves.
To help you make properly informed decisions, here’s some more information about what alcohol does to the body in relation to cancer:
One in seven cancers is caused by alcohol consumption.
Regarding breast cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) says,
‘Alcohol is one of the biggest risk factors for breast cancer.’
Studies reported by WHO (World Health Organization) specifically say that when comparing women who drink alcohol with women who don't drink at all - the women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer, and that with every extra drink (that means for your fourth drink, and your fifth etc.), the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10% for each additional drink! Imagine if you’re having not just three drinks a week but three drinks a day! Your risk just increased exponentially.
It's scary stuff!
But isn’t it wonderful that you can control these risks simply by cutting out alcohol?
That’s powerful and has the potential to save your life. It allows you to take back some control over your health and your future.
If breast cancer runs in your family, the risks to you are even greater.
Some people think that buying better quality alcohol, reduces the risk of breast cancer, but the reality is any alcohol is dangerous. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the ‘cheap stuff’ or the ‘good stuff.’
“Breast cancer is the most common cancer caused by alcohol among women globally. It doesn’t matter what type, quality or price alcohol is,” says Dr Marilys Corbex, Senior Technical Officer for Noncommunicable Diseases at WHO/Europe.
Alcohol isn’t picky with what havoc it wreaks in your body. It certainly doesn’t discriminate with the types of cancer it causes, with studies showing that drinking alcohol is a major contributor to developing not just breast cancer, but also head and neck cancers, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer.
Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen by IARC, and there is no safe level of drinking alcohol. Your risk of breast cancer increases with every drink you consume.
‘Simply put, alcohol is toxic. It harms every organ while it passes through the body. So, it makes perfect sense to find ways to replace alcohol with other beverages.’
Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, Acting Director for Noncommunicable Diseases and Program Manager for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs at WHO/Europe.
As women, our bodies are ruled by our hormones. Breast cancer is a ‘hormone-sensitive’ cancer.
Hormones affect our emotions, our menstrual cycles, our weight, how we age – everything! This is important to remember because breast cancer is known to be a ‘hormone-sensitive’ cancer, and drinking alcohol alters the hormone levels in our body, raising estrogen (and also a version of testosterone called DHEA, which is converted into estrogen) to unsafe levels. This is directly linked to breast cancer.
Backing up the link between hormones (specifically elevated levels of estrogen) and breast cancer is research from the National Library of Medicine:
‘Extensive epidemiologic data have linked alcohol consumption to risk of breast cancer. The overall estimated association is an approximate 30-50% increase in breast cancer risk from 15-30 grams/day of alcohol consumption (about 1-2 drinks/day). Given the level of alcohol consumption in the U.S. population, modifying this behavior could have a large impact on breast cancer incidence.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832299/
The carcinogenic role of ethanol metabolites, as well as the role of alcohol in altering estrogen levels.
Ethanol has also been hypothesized to play a direct role in breast cancer tumorigenesis by down-regulating the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1, resulting in increased transcriptional activity of ERα, a key estrogen receptor, leading to increased cell proliferation and greater opportunity for genetic damage.
Associations between alcohol use and intermediate markers such as breast density provide further evidence that alcohol is truly associated with breast cancer.’
McDonald, J. A., Goyal, A., & Terry, M. B. (2013). Alcohol Intake and Breast Cancer Risk: Weighing the Overall Evidence. Current Breast Cancer Reports, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12609-013-0114-z
That’s a lot of research and evidence all saying the same thing ...
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption
Alcohol can cause cancer
Specifically, alcohol can cause breast cancer
Stopping drinking can help prevent cancer
Breast cancer is a terrible disease, and the treatments for it are brutal.
Even if after treatment you are declared ‘cancer free’, many women relapse a few years after ‘beating cancer’ only to find it has spread to their lungs, bones, or brain, need more aggressive treatment, and they have a short time left on this earth.
It’s devastating.
If you’ve been in my community for even a little while, you’ll know how passionate I am about living a life free from the prison of alcohol and the negative effects it has on the human body.
The link between breast cancer and drinking alcohol further cements my conviction to not only continue the amazing new lifestyle I have chosen for myself but to provide the information and support needed for others to be able to make informed decisions for their own health, too.
If you would like more information on breast cancer and the effects that drinking alcohol has on developing breast cancer, here are some fabulous resources:
I recommend checking out Dr Liz O’Riordan too – she’s amazing!
You can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/oriordanliz/ and, check out her books Under the Knife and The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer on her website: liz.oriordan.co.uk.
If you would like more information and support on how to live alcohol-free and how to embrace a healthier lifestyle, I am a Health Coach and a Gray Area Drinking Coach, and it would be my very great honor and privilege to help you on your journey.
I encourage you to book a free call with me here:
If you, or someone you know is currently dealing with breast cancer and need emotional support or counseling, reach out to some of these amazing organizations for help:
As we step into the Christmas season 🎄 and enjoy celebrating and being festive with our friends, family and loved ones, I hope this blog article has left you feeling empowered to make the best decisions going forward that work for you, your health, and your lifestyle.
Remember, this is a judgment-free zone, and I’m rooting for you in your journey through life. ❤️
Kristin xx
How I Can Help You 🌅
If you want to explore an alcohol-free life or would like to improve your health, it would be my greatest pleasure to help you on your journey.
I have two different coaching options:
Health Coaching Program
Are you experiencing sickness, fatigue, depression, pain or weight issues?
If so, then your body isn’t working as it should.
There are many reasons for these health issues, and sometimes working with a Health Coach can help.
As your Health Coach, I support you through diet and lifestyle changes to help you feel the best you can and live a brighter, happier life.
Gray Area Drinking (GAD) Program
It’s challenging to change your drinking habits - especially when they’ve crept up and have been happening for a long time.
That’s where I can help you. I work holistically, focusing on your gut health, neurotransmitters, and dysregulated nervous system to calm, soothe, and get everything back in balance. I teach you coping mechanisms to deal with cravings and give you all the tools you need to live an alcohol-free life.
Take the first step to brighten your life!
Book your FREE consultation to learn more about my Health Coaching and Gray Area Drinking Coaching programs and how I can help you.
Remember…
EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO BE ALCOHOL-FREE, and SUNSETS ARE THE NEW HAPPY HOUR! 🌅
Kristin ❤️ x
