Open Door Retreat

The link between women, alcohol and breast cancer

Late last year, health insurance giant Kaiser Permanente reported that there was a correlation between women who consumed alcohol and an increased risk of getting breast cancer.

The study, which examined the drinking habits of 70,000 women from a variety of age groups caused quite a stir, and women everywhere pored over the report, wondering if they should stop drinking altogether.

But as this even-handed piece of reporting in the New York Times points out, there is a link between the two, but the information should be taken with a grain of salt.

The eight year study - which was observational and included no clinical trials - found that three or more drinks per day increased the risk of breast cancer by 30% in the women studied.

So consider a higher risk of breast cancer to be another reason to get into a good alcohol treatment program!