Alcohol & Cancer Risk
- In the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith shared that she decided to quit drinking alcohol after finding herself drinking three bottles of wine regularly.
- A SurvivorNet study found that women are drinking more as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and majority of women don’t know excessive drinking increases the risk of cancer.
- Research has found that women who drink more than about three drinks in one day are at a one and a half times higher risk of developing breast cancer than non-drinkers.
On the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Smith talked to her co-hosts Adrienne Banfield Norris and Willow Smith (her daughter) about the rise of alcohol intake due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the discussion, Smith shared a very personal story about her decision to quit drinking after she found herself drinking three bottles of wine regularly. “Once I was going for that third bottle of wine, I said, ‘you’ve got a problem,’ and it was cold turkey that day. That day I just stopped,” Smith said. (Please consult your doctor if you feel you have an alcohol problem so you can discuss the best approach to moderation or quitting.)
Read MoreAlcohol & Cancer
Although there’s no evidence that alcohol directly causes cancer, it has been proven that excessive drinking puts us at higher risk of a cancer diagnosis. In a number of studies looking at breast cancer risk, researchers concluded that women who drank more than about three drinks in one day were at a one and a half times higher risk of developing breast cancer than non-drinkers.
“Binge drinking, it’s not good for anybody,” Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “It’s also not good for a woman’s increased risk of breast cancer. So patients ask me this all the time ‘well, how much can I drink?’ If you want to have absolutely no risk from alcohol, then don’t drink at all. But probably having less than four glasses a week of alcohol is probably okay.”
Related: There's a Proven Link Between Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk So Why Don't We Hear About It?
In addition to breast cancer, there’s also been research to link excessive drinking to colon cancer. Experts have told SurvivorNet that they believe high levels of alcohol can predispose people to certain types of cancers including pancreatic, liver, and colon. Additionally, the amount of alcohol you drink may influence surgery for colon cancer.
So, when winding down your evening with a much-deserved cocktail just keep moderation in mind.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen breaks down the link between alcohol and breast cancer
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