By Emily Laurence, Well+Good
[post_ads]With a number of studies showing the health benefits of moderate drinking, you can feel pretty good about heading to happy hour, right? After all, a glass a day can be good for your heart. Well, it turns out there’s a big caveat. For women in their mid-40s or older, even just one alcoholic drink a day can increase the risk of breast cancer, according to a new study. (Isn’t getting older grand?)
Researchers with the World Cancer Research Fund and the American
Institute for Cancer Research found that even having as little as 10
grams of alcohol a day (that’s almost one full glass of wine) is linked
to a 5 percent increase in breast cancer in premenopausal women and a
9 percent increase in postmenopausal women.
“I was most surprised by the alcohol result, that risk increases at just one drink a day, on average.”
[post_ads]According to the researchers, alcohol can cause cell mutations in DNA
strains, which in turn can cause cancer. “I was most surprised by the
alcohol result, that risk increases at just one drink a day, on
average,” the study’s lead researcher Anne McTiernan, MD, PhD, tells
CNN. “The increase with one drink a day was small, but the risk goes up
from there. So that’s why the American Institute for Cancer Research
recommends no more than one alcohol drink a day for women to reduce risk
for cancer.”
But what about all that evidence that wine is good for the heart? According to researchers: It’s complicated.
(Sigh.) While moderate wine consumption really might have some health
benefits, it should be weighed against the risks, they say. So instead
of pouring yourself a glass after dinner tonight, maybe call up your BFF
and work out this dilemma over a bottle (of kombucha). Because time with your loved ones is definitely in the “good for you” category.
And hey, you don’t need alcohol to relax—or have fun. Try raising a glass of this heart-opening elixir to get in the party mood. And here’s how to throw a high-vibe gathering, sans booze.
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