One of my Health Tips Readers has written me that, while alcohol is beneficial for men, it is not good for women, since it raises the risk of breast cancer. I replied that I thought the benefits outweighed the risks, but I would do some more research on the question. Here's the research:
Bottom Line First:
Michael Thun, MD, vice president of epidemiology and surveillance for the American Cancer Society (ACS), advises "the most important thing to understand is that even at levels of moderate drinking — not exceeding one drink of alcohol daily — the current evidence suggests that there is some increase in breast cancer risk."
"One drink of alcohol a day, however, may reduce the risk of heart disease, so the net effect on a woman’s health depends to a large extent on her age and her risk of breast cancer, and of heart disease," Thun says, noting that alcohol is the one case in which cancer and heart guidelines are in conflict.
"The risk of breast cancer and other cancers increases as alcohol consumption increases," Thun notes. "But after menopause, the reduction in risk of heart attacks and strokes associated with one or two drinks a day is greater than the increase in breast cancer risk for nearly all women," he qualifies.
Risk
Research has shown that consumption of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer:
When compared with teetotalers:
* Women who drank the equivalent of a half glass of wine a day were 6% more likely to develop breast cancer.
* Women who drank a glass or two a day faced a 21% increased risk of breast cancer.
* Those who drank more than two drinks a day were 37% more likely to develop breast cancer.
However, the risk was much greater in menopausal women:
* Menopausal women who drank a half glass of wine daily increased their chance of breast cancer by 18%.
Alcohol may increase breast cancer recurrence risk
Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages (at least three to four drinks per week, no matter the type of alcohol) is associated with a 30 percent increased risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study. Post-menopausal or overweight women may be most susceptible to the effects of alcohol on recurrence, according to the researchers.
"Women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should consider limiting their consumption of alcohol to less than three drinks per week, especially women who are postmenopausal and overweight or obese," Kwan said.
Benefits
Alcohol consumption may protect against Alzheimer's Disease
A new study published this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests a protective effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in women who do not smoke.
Women's Alcohol Study
Dr. Mahabir concluded that "It looks like low to moderate alcohol consumption, at least over the short term, does not harm bone health. Collectively, when all the available published epidemiologic data are considered, it looks like low to moderate alcohol may actually have a beneficial effect."
Women who drink moderately appear to gain less weight than nondrinkers
Normal-weight women who drink a light to moderate amount of alcohol appear to gain less weight and have a lower risk of becoming overweight and obese than non-drinkers…
Women who did not drink alcohol at all gained the most weight, with weight gain decreasing as alcohol intake increased … with the strongest association found for red wine .
Red Wine May Shield Brain From Stroke Damage
Alcohol Good For You after Heart Attack or Stroke
"We observed – says Simona Costanzo, epidemiologist and first author of the study – that regular and moderate consumption has beneficial effects even for people already affected by heart attack, or stroke. Not only they are less likely to be affected by similar diseases again, but all-cause mortality too resulted to be lower than in those who did not consume any alcoholic beverage". The effect is very similar to that observed in healthy people. "Risk reduction - Costanzo argues - is about 20%. This means that one event out of five can be spared. It is a huge advantage, comparable to the one already recorded for healthy individuals".
Champagne Is Good for Your Heart:
Dr Jeremy Spencer, from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences said: "Our research has shown that drinking around two glasses of champagne can have beneficial effects on the way blood vessels function, in a similar way to that observed with red wine. We always encourage a responsible approach to alcohol consumption, but the fact that drinking champagne has the potential to reduce the risks of suffering from cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, is very exciting news."
Alcohol consumption was associated with lower photodamage scores.
Photodamage includes characteristics such as coarsely wrinkled skin, spots of extra pigment or lost pigment and dilated blood vessels on the face. Sun damage also has been associated with the development of cancerous growths.
Benefits of Red Wine - Review
Benefits of all alcohol:
Studies on the use of alcohol have shown protective effects against coronary heart disease (CHD). These studies show that one or two alcoholic drinks per day increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Also, moderate alcohol consumption decreases low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. Finally, alcohol consumption decreases platelet aggregation.
Benefits of Red Wine
There has been some discussion recently, including an article in the New York Times, pointing out that there is a difference in lifestyle among people who drink wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages, including social class and diet, that may also explain why wine seems to offer more protection than others against coronary heart disease. (1)
Regardless, wine, especially red wine, really does seem to have benefits that the other sources of alcohol do not have, including:
REDUCES INFLAMMATION
Red wine may have anti-inflammatory effects. It reduces C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that seems to be related to atherosclerosis. (2)
ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES
Red wine has higher concentrations of antioxidant molecules, called polyphenols, than other alcoholic drinks. The antioxidant properties of these polyphenols may contribute to protection against coronary heart disease by reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol. (3) The polyphenols in red wine include anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and resveratrol, and flavonoids, including catechins, kaempferol, and quercetin. (4,5) However, the polyphenol content of wine is dependent upon grape variety, climate, and the methods used to make the wine. White wines, unlike red wines, have very low polyphenol concentrations.
IMMUNE SUPPORT
Red wine may also reduce mutagenic DNA damage and improve endothelial function when included in a high fat diet. (6) Wine can stimulate gastric acid secretion and gastrin release. This may explain why moderate to high wine intake seems to prevent Helicobacter pylori infection. (7) Finally, the anthocyanins in red wine may help prevent various cancers. (8)
OTHER BENEFITS
Red wine may help to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (9), reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (10), may help to prevent cataracts (11), and may help to prevent rheumatoid arthritis (12).
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Red Wine Update
The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more.
And just for men:
Wine may boost life expectancy by 5 years
Half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by 5 years
Long-term wine consumption is related to cardiovascular mortality and life expectancy independently of moderate alcohol intake
Drinking up to half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years—at least in men—suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The researchers found that light long term alcohol consumption of all types—up to 20 g a day— extended life by around two extra years compared with no alcohol at all. Extended life expectancy was slightly less for those who drank more than 20 g.
And men who drank only wine, and less than half a glass of it a day, lived around 2.5 years longer than those who drank beer and spirits, and almost five years longer than those who drank no alcohol at all.
Drinking wine was strongly associated with a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and death from all causes.
These results held true, irrespective of socioeconomic status, dietary and other lifestyle habits, factors long thought to influence the association between wine drinking and better health.
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