Women who are genetically predisposed to breast cancer could be able to reduce their risk by cutting back on alcoholic drinks, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer.
A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School recruited about 7,000 young girls between the ages of nine and 15. Seventeen percent of these girls had a close female relative – a mother, aunt or grandmother – with breast cancer, while a similar percent had a female relative with benign breast disease: a non-cancerous lump that is considered an important risk factor for cancer.
Following up with these girls at 22 years of age, the researchers found that 3.1 percent of those who drank most heavily – about one drink a day – had developed benign breast disease, compared to only 1.3 percent of those who abstained from alcohol.
Young women with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer "should be aware that drinking alcohol may increase their own risk for [benign breast disease] and for breast cancer later on," advised lead author Catherine Berkey.