Women who drink two glasses of wine a day are in almost 50 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer than those who do not consume alcohol in general. According to the research, even those women who drink even from three to four glasses of wine a week (formally recommended rate) are at the risk of developing breast cancer.
Few years ago doctors discovered that even small amounts of alcohol can alter hormonal structure in women breasts. This initiated bigger studies that show that even few glasses of wine significantly increase breast cancer risk. The researchers also warn that woman who have reached their third and fourth decade and are continuously taking alcohol have much higher probability of developing breast cancer even when they stop drinking alcohol. Recommended alcohol limit is 14 units of alcohol a week what means about 7 medium-sized glasses of wine or 14 units of stronger alcoholic beverages. The survey has also found that even taking seven units of alcohol a week may increase the risk of developing breast cancer by 15 percent. Well, women who drink about two glasses of wine every day (about four units of alcohol) increase this risk by 50 percent.
The study involved women of 55 years old who were asked to respond to the questions about current drinking habits and of their younger age. The researchers observed those women for nearly 30 years and counted the number of those who were diagnosed with breast cancer. It was clearly seen that almost four units of alcohol per day leads to a greater risk of cancer. Scientists believe that alcohol increases the production of the female hormone estrogen, which stimulates the tumors.