The American Institute for Cancer Research is an international group that reviewed numerous articles on cancer and made a report of their overall observations and recommendations. They are one of the most authoritative reporting councils in the field of cancer.
They made the following pointed observation about breast cancer and alcoholic drinks: alcoholic drinks are a causative factor of breast cancer. This was found to be the case in both pre- and postmenopausal women. The medical literature they studied showed an increased risk with increased intake. That is, the more alcohol intake, the greater the risk of breast cancer. Their conclusion was specific: “The evidence that alcoholic drinks are a cause of premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer is convincing.”
Many other reports back that up. Recently, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association made a similar observation. This was research done by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. It showed that light to moderate alcohol drinkers have an increased risk of breast cancer as compared to women who do not drink beer, wine, or liquor. Even for light drinkers, they found more risk. They pointed out that women who drank only three to six glasses of alcohol per week had a 15 percent higher risk of breast cancer than those who didn’t drink at all. And those who drank fourteen glasses a week, or an average of two glasses daily, showed a 51 percent higher risk of breast cancer.
The Journal of the American Medical Association did a study of over one hundred thousand women. The study confirmed that women who drink more than nineteen drinks a week have a 51 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer. A single drink was defined as a 4-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce can of beer, or 1.5-ounce shot of liquor.
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends that women not drink alcohol if they want to prevent breast cancer. Another report from the American Cancer Society stresses that, because of the high incidence of breast cancer among American females, risk reduction strategies are essential. They go on stating that “alcohol consumption, even at moderate levels, increases breast cancer risk.”
Breast Cancer and Ideal Weight Plus Exercise
Being overweight has a direct consequence on increasing your risk of having breast cancer. An American Institute for Cancer Research report found that in postmenopausal women, breast cancer increased with increased body fatness. One interesting observation they made is that if you are overweight throughout your premenopausal years, when you become postmenopausal you are going to have an increased chance of developing breast cancer. They end their discussion by stating, “The evidence that greater body fatness is a cause of postmenopausal breast cancer is convincing.”
The reason being overweight has an effect on breast cancer in postmenopausal women is found in research showing that the higher the level of estrogen and some other hormones in a female, the greater the chance of developing breast cancer. Now, this is where the overweight factor fits into the equation—fat tissue boosts the production of estrogen, which in turn fuels many breast cancers. Not only is some estrogen made in fat tissue, but the enzyme that helps in the formation of the estrogen is also stored in the fat cells. So if you have more fat tissue, you are more likely to produce more estrogen, which in turn can lead to a breast tumor. When you lose weight, the level of these enzymes, which assist in forming estrogen, decreases, and you have less of the estrogen to stimulate breast tumors.
The next question that should come to mind is, “If I lose weight, will that in itself cut down on the amount of estrogen, or is there more to it?”
A recent study presented in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that dropping even a small amount of weight is significant. They found that losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of body weight may reduce a woman’s breast cancer risk 25 to 50 percent. The report went on to show that it wasn’t just as simple as lowering estrogen alone; inflammation may also play a role in this. They reported that it all goes hand in hand because inflammation is also fueled by fat.
Even more significant was the relationship to exercise. Their study was based on 439 overweight to obese women who did not exercise. Their ages ranged from fifty to seventy-five, and they were randomly placed into one of four groups.
The first group was the “exercise only” group. The study’s definition of exercise consisted mainly of brisk walking, along with five forty-five-minute aerobic classes per week.
The second group was the “diet only” group. They reduced intake of fat and calories while increasing their intake of vegetables, fruits, and fiber.
The third group was a combination of the first two and was labeled the “diet plus exercise” group.
The fourth group did “nothing.” They stayed sedentary, neither dieting nor exercising.
These four groups of women were studied for a year. They were given a goal of losing 10 percent of their weight. This is where the findings become interesting.
Their blood was measured for levels of estrogen and other hormones. Can you guess who had the greatest drop in weight as well as in estrogen? Can you guess who had the least drop?
Here are the results. By the end of that year of study, the women who were in the diet-only and the diet-plus-exercise groups had met their goal of losing weight. They averaged losing 10 percent of their starting weight. They measured the levels of six hormones related to estrogen. All six are known to have an effect on developing breast cancer. Their findings shine a bright light on the significance of exercising as part of a prevention plan. For each of the hormone levels tested, the women who dieted plus exercised decreased their levels significantly more than those in the group who just dieted without the exercise.
Exercise plays a significant role in weight loss as well as in the overall protection against breast cancer. Both groups lost the same amount of weight, but there was a more significant protective factor with the group who exercised in addition to just changing their diet. Exercise was the key. What is most significant in the reviews of the medical literature concerning exercise is that there was a dose-response relationship—the more intense the exercise, the less reported cancer.
A report in the journal Breast Cancer Research affirms the importance of exercise. This article found that women who have a family history of breast cancer reduce their risk of breast cancer by a fourth by doing twenty minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity at least five times a week along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Also, women who have already had breast cancer in one breast were found to have a lower risk of developing a recurrence if they kept at an ideal weight. In essence, getting to an ideal weight represents an additional way to decrease your long-term risk for getting additional breast cancer.
All of these findings simply substantiate the significance of the Prescription for Life plan in protecting your arteries as well as in helping in cancer prevention.
Two things to remember.
First, no matter your age, it’s never too early and never too late to make that lifestyle change to reduce your risk for breast cancer. For younger women, it’s best to make your decision for the Prescription for Life plan as early as possible so you can avoid the weight gain that creeps up on you as each year goes by. For older women who are postmenopausal and may have gained considerable weight, it’s not too late to change your eating lifestyle, to get to your ideal weight, and to begin your exercise program. Bottom line, do whatever it takes to reduce your risk factors for breast cancer.
Second, nothing good ever comes from being overweight.