19% recurrence rate compared to non-drinkers. Among survivors who had estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, those who drank 7 or more drinks a week had a 28% increased risk of late breast cancer recurrence (5 years or more after diagnosis).
According to research conducted by the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) Consortium, African-American women who drink seven or more alcoholic beverages per week have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Their risk increases to 33% if they drink 14 or more alcoholic beverages per week.
A study conducted by Fred Hutch epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Li did not find an association between moderate use of alcohol after a breast cancer diagnosis and death. However, he states, “One drink a day and your breast cancer risk goes up about 10 percent. Two drinks a day, it goes up 20 percent. Women who imbibe are particularly at risk for estrogen-receptor-positive, or ER+ breast cancer, since studies have shown that alcohol increases the level of estrogen in postmenopausal women.” Li said, “Moderation is very important, but our study supports previous studies in suggesting that the occasional glass of wine does not seem to impact a woman’s risk of dying of breast cancer.”
And for my Pink Sisters living with metastatic breast cancer, we could not find data to support a position specifically for these women. This is most likely because there are so many variables to consider.
So why does alcohol have a negative effect? Here’s what we found:
- Alcohol can increase levels of estrogen