Lean Plate Club: Alcohol breast cancer linked in women

Raising a glass of wine and wishing salud! -- health! -- is one of life's many pleasures.

But for women, this well-meaning cheer is a bit hollow: There's mounting evidence that drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages increases the risk of breast cancer.

That's not the image many people have of drinking wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages in moderation. A recent Harvard study of 878 people in Massachusetts found that nearly two-thirds of drinkers -- and about a third of teetotalers -- considered moderate drinking to be safe and healthful. So healthful that about 30 percent of those surveyed said the purported health benefits of alcohol are one reason they drink.

The link between alcohol and breast cancer is something that almost nobody participants in the Harvard study had heard about, says lead author Kenneth Mukamal of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Yet just this month, Danish researchers reported more evidence linking alcohol consumption to greater risk of breast cancer in women. These new results offer a cautionary note for younger women and underscore that it's never too soon to go easy on alcohol.

The researchers tracked nearly 10,000 women for 27 years. The amount of alcohol consumed at the time they entered the study is what correlated best with breast cancer risk nearly three decades later, rather than alcohol intake after menopause.

If women do drink, the consensus is to limit alcohol to one drink per day. (A drink is five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, such as whiskey, tequila or vodka.) But just that amount of alcohol translates to about a 10 percent increased risk of breast cancer, says Eric Rimm of the Harvard School of Public Health.

More alcohol equals more risk. Some studies suggest that two or more drinks per day are associated with about a 30 to 40 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer, says JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. For women who have other risk factors -- a mother or sister with breast cancer, for example -- that can be a substantial risk, Manson notes.

Just how alcohol raises breast cancer risk is still unknown. Alcohol boosts estrogen and other hormones, which are linked to breast cancer. Mixing alcohol with hormone replacement therapy can be particularly risky, Manson says, since alcohol and estrogen seem to augment each other. That combination is something to avoid, she adds.

But there may be ways to help cut the risk from drinking alcohol. Folic acid is one nutrient under investigation. Also known as folate, this vitamin is named for the Latin word for leaf because it occurs in green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach. Citrus fruit and dried beans are also rich in folate. Research suggests that women who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of breast cancer. Bread, cereal, pasta and rice are among the foods fortified with folate, which is also a common ingredient of multivitamins.

So could diets high in folate offer breast cancer protection? In 1998 researchers studied nearly 3,500 women with breast cancer and found no link between folate intake and breast cancer risk.

In drinking women, folate helped

But when researchers looked at women who had at least one drink of alcohol per day, they found that breast cancer risk was greatest among those with the lowest folate intake. Our findings suggest that the excess risk of breast cancer associated with alcohol consumption may be reduced by adequate folate intake, the team reported.

In March, Manson and her colleagues published a report of a 10-year study of multivitamin use and breast cancer risk in about 40,000 women. Multivitamins did not protect against breast cancer -- except in women who consumed at least one drink daily. Those results suggest that multivitamin use might help to counteract the elevated risk of breast cancer for women consuming alcohol, Manson says.

But experts say that doesn't mean that it's OK to imbibe and then pop a multivitamin or eat a lot of spinach to compensate.

Nor is there any evidence that one type of alcohol is better -- or worse -- than any other in terms of breast cancer risk. Red wine is often touted for health benefits. But there's not strong evidence that beer or liquor is likely to increase breast cancer risk more than wine, Manson says.

What counts is how much you drink. The more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of breast cancer for women.

You can subscribe to the free Lean Plate Club e-mail newsletter at www.leanplateclub.com

March 12, 2008 in Liaoning Province Health Department in Jincheng Hotels held in 2008 the province health systems work style construction industry work conference. Commended at the 2007 provincial health systems industries style building integrity services Cup contest advanced units and individuals; recognition of the province s health system management style building industry advanced collectives and workers. Hospital in 2005, 2006

Quanyuanshangxia joint efforts of the gratifying results; Professor Sun Changfu agreed Services advanced personal integrity ; Road Zhenfu president of the Liaoning Provincial health system Xingfeng management advanced workers. At 2008 on the general arrangements of work: to continue to carry out professional ethics education, medical personnel to effectively improve the quality of professional ethics, strengthen the building of systems, and strive to improve health service quality; increase the intensity of special rectification, and earnestly solve damage the interests of the masses Outstanding problems; improve the supervision and restraint mechanisms, and constantly strengthening and improving the work style of the building industry.

March 12 in the seventh floor of conference rooms for oral hospital Committee in 2008 the first meeting. The main agenda is: to repay short-term bank loans railway branch of the matter; listen Center Zhongming, director of the laboratory is home on the purchase of fluorescent microscope facilities in the note and decided to tender procurement; briefing to be held in Liaoning Province oral medicine Will be the 19th conference, Chinese Journal of Dental practical Editorial Board set up the General Assembly, the oral medicine Summit Forum that three will prepare for and progress in our hospital to be informed of the extension to the progress of work.

I anchored in the House of Shenyang City Medical Association branch in the mouth in December 2006 to set up, set up more than a year, the Municipal Health Bureau and the Urban Medical Association, under the guidance of active service industries, coordination, supervision and management; development of members, Expansion team has reached the total number of registered physicians 50 percent of creating Web sites, constantly updated, maintenance and upgrading of academic activities, done a lot of work. Hospital Medical Section Zhang Zhong Quantico long been rated as the year 2007 in Shenyang City Medical Association Outstanding Workers Association honorary title of .

March 12, 2008, the Labor Social Security Bureau and his entourage of four of our hospital medical insurance for the inspection work. The inspection main content of hospital management, including health insurance, Medicare drugs by drug rates, utilization ratio and personal own control, and so on. I check the results of the general hospital in good condition, medical insurance management in place, sound organization, rules and regulations improved, disease-better situation, the mandatory inspection of all standard indicators. Inspection Group believes that all departments in our hospital medical insurance is set up with Secretary of the future, should be vigorously promoted in Shenyang. Carried out checks on patients, patient medication reasonable and did not find Maomingdingti, and other phenomena. But in the examination also found that a number of issues, compared with the 2006 average cost of Medicare patients has increased, and suggested that I find the reasons for hospital promptly corrected.

Hospital infection control is in good medical work on the premise that only in line with infection control standards in order to provide a safe medical services, oral specialist hospitals should enhance their understanding, sense of attention to hospital work, do our best to improve medical work environment. March 7 at the Shenyang City Center for Disease Control and Prevention in our hospital out-patient wards, operating theatres, supply room, dressing room and had to inspect and guide the sampling. After the CDC to check the hospitals in our hospital infection control work fully affirmed, noting that in some sections of a number of issues. According to national health laws and regulations and the provisions of provincial and municipal CDC document requests, there are not enough hospital perfect place, the need for further improvement. After the inspection section chief for the CDC SONG Wei hospital medical staff were targeted hospital infection control training, and the morning of the inspection work was concluded. The hospital has 145 people participated in the training.

Hospital construction and development, human resources is fundamental, is the key, and personnel training is a long-term eternal mission, the contingent of care is key to the sustainable development of nursing knowledge updates, technical innovation and the concept of change, to that end, our hospital in 2007 In November Wang Xu and Wang sent two nurses to doctors freshman hospital operating theatres, ICU conducted a three-month study and learning. Through short-term training, expand their horizons and learn a lot of new technologies, new ideas and nurses Shen Reading spirit and a positive work attitude. March 13 nursing department held a staff report on learning, Wang Xu introduced the operating room work processes, equipment maintenance, care and support nurses Peiliao, she said: The creation of full operation Peiliao can help patients with full Overcome fear and reduce health care with the distance between the founder of Harmony hospitals play an important significance. Wang in a variety of images showing the ICU ward of advanced equipment, and details on the breathing machine and the principle of the use of data, such as the right to read Care, care for our hospital wards reserves the technical work force.

March 14 in the Medical Section 9 Floor Auditorium academic medical insurance policies held training seminars, the first by the China Medical University Hospital medical insurance office Zhou Jin Zhuren done a concept of a medical insurance costs increased awareness of the topic Talks. Zhou Zhuren illustrations on the complexity of the medical insurance policy will be clear and concise expression for everyone, so that the entire hospital staff for medical insurance policies better understand and master. The training of medical personnel and better treatment in patients with medical insurance, and continuously improve the quality of medical services, protect the legitimate rights and interests of the participants played a facilitating role. The hospital will have 189 people to listen.

In order to actively guide the workers establish the correct ideas and concepts, enhance overcome difficulties and climbed out of a slump with determination and confidence to ensure the smooth progress of the work sections, March 6 at noon, there were periods of rest Yan Haixin technician for the restoration of the production Professional training. Yan Haixin technician for nearly a long period of the existing problems, namely the basal crown, porcelain teeth, denture made specific activities of production requirements, further regulate the operation of our department denture production processes, and strengthen awareness of the standards. The comrades of the craft center Fanxiang warm this study to identify deficiencies in their own work, summed up the experience, enhance mutual exchanges. To continuously improve quality, promote their own study, craft center made a decision: like this study, once a week, by all the members take turns, is now into the end of July this year.

The 21st century is a digital network technology and rapid development of the century, leading to the development of the situation hospitals, scientific decision-making, in the January 2008 purchase of KODAK CR 7400 digital dental-imaging system and put into use. This set of equipment technically mature, with image after image exposure in the board, through the Film-analog data into a digital image, not only eliminating the general image of the film image, the fixing process, but also facilitate the transmission and storage of image processing, To ensure image quality, while also effectively improved the imaging speed and reduce the waiting time for patients. Furthermore, clinicians can be based on the original image of the images to deal with, such as: the contrast of images, measuring bone density analysis, such as three-dimensional virtual benefits of image data collection and management. I Branch CR installation of the equipment, orthodontic teeth by the use of almost all-CR, comprehensive emergency doctor is to understand its advantages, oral surgery, the infants teeth, oral medicine also began to actively use, there is no doubt that the number of teeth - Will be able to introduce more effective the assistance of clinical, research and teaching work. Recently, the Division I Bi Huifang, director of digital film system using dental problems in the staff room of our guidance and training to promote more business excellence, to better serve patients in the clinical services.

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