Wine, Beer, Spirits Boost Breast Cancer Risk Equally

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The increase in risk was similar no matter which type of beverage was typically consumed. "It makes no difference whether women drink wine, beer or liquor in terms of their risk of breast cancer," Li said. "It's the alcohol itself. And it's the quantity consumed that increases breast cancer risk."

The researchers didn't find any difference in risk between red and white wine, although some previous research has found red wine more heart-protective than white. That cardiovascular benefit has been linked to the presence of antioxidant flavonoids in red wine, especially one flavonoid called resveratrol.

Another expert familiar with the new study said the research adds some valuable information to what is known about breast cancer risk. Especially valuable -- because it is new -- is the information about all types of alcohol seeming to raise risk equally, said Coral Lamartiniere, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He has researched resveratrol, which has shown both antioxidant and anticancer properties. In a study published in August in the journal Carcinogenesis, Lamartiniere found that animals fed resveratrol had an 87 percent reduced risk of getting prostate tumors.

How do his findings that the resveratrol in wine protected against prostate cancer -- at least in animals -- square with the new findings that neither red nor white wine seem protective against breast cancer in women? At least at first glance, "the alcohol is obviously a more potent carcinogen than resveratrol is protective against cancer," Lamartiniere said.

But, he said, "different red wines have different potencies of resveratrol. Cabernet sauvignon has the highest." What isn't clear, he added, is how much resveratrol was in the red wine typically consumed by the women in the Kaiser study.

So, what's the best advice for women interested in minimizing their breast cancer risk? "Modest consumption of anything is the way to go," Lamartiniere said.

Li emphasized that alcohol consumption is just one of the factors that could raise breast cancer risk. To reduce overall breast cancer risk, she advises women to follow a healthy lifestyle by eating a good diet, exercising, not smoking and not drinking heavily.

More information

To learn more about breast cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.