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April 9th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) — Teenage girls and young adult
women who drink even moderate amounts of alcohol appear to increase their
risk of developing breast changes that can lead to cancer, according to a
large new study.
The study, which followed more than 29,000 females, found that for each
10 grams of alcohol (the equivalent of about one drink) consumed each day,
the risk of developing these noncancerous cells and lesions — called
proliferative benign breast disease (BDD) — increased 15 percent.
“It’s clear that this study shows that late adolescent alcohol
[drinking] drives up the risk of these preliminary benign changes in the
breast,” said Dr. Graham Colditz, a professor of surgery and associate
director for prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center of
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“The risk is substantial,” Colditz said. The good news? Young women who
are aware of the link can change their behavior, he said.
The study, published online April 9, appears in the May print issue of
Pediatrics.
A link between alcohol and breast cancer has already been established.
Adult women who drink two to five alcoholic drinks a day have 1.5 times
the risk of breast cancer compared to nondrinkers, according to the
American Cancer Society.
But the mechanism behind that association is not clear, and the
researchers wanted to see if high levels of folate, a B vitamin, could
offset the effects of alcohol, as some previous reports have
suggested.
Alcohol is thought to hamper the availability of folate, especially in
heavy drinkers. Too little folate, in turn, can abnormally affect DNA.
Colditz and his colleagues evaluated data from the Nurses’ Health Study
II to focus on earlier drinking habits. The women, who were free of cancer
and benign breast disease at the study’s start, answered questions about
alcohol and folate intake.
“We looked at the alcohol intake between ages 18 and 22, and we
converted it into drinks per day,” he said.
Colditz’s team found folate intake had no effect on benign breast
disease, but alcohol did.
About one-fourth of those surveyed did not drink as teens and young
adults. About 11 percent had high intake, drinking the equivalent of 1.5
drinks a day or more. The others had low or moderate drinking
patterns.
After an average follow-up of 10 years, the researchers found 659 cases
of benign breast disease. The more alcohol a woman consumed, the greater
the likelihood she would develop the breast changes, the researchers
said.
Experts said the findings are a matter of concern.
“Alcohol consumption even during young adulthood does appear to play an
important role in adverse breast health,” said Susan Gapstur, vice
president of the epidemiology research program for the American Cancer
Society.
Not everyone with proliferative benign breast disease gets breast
cancer, of course. However, benign breast disease “is an important,
consistent risk factor,” Gapstur said.
Dr. Jonathan Espenschied, director of graduate medical education and
clinical training at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in
Duarte, Calif., said the study clearly suggests that health behaviors
during adolescence and young adulthood affect health later.
In his work with young adult and teen patients, Espenschied said he
tries to educate them about drinking, instead of telling them not to
drink. “I would want them to be aware of alcohol consumption and what it
can do, not just in terms of breast cancer,” he said. “They are young
adults and they are going to make their own decision.”
While the study uncovered an association between adolescent alcohol use
and benign breast disease, it did not prove a cause-and-effect
relationship.
More information
To learn more about the risk factors for breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
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