Texas Women Are Drinkers: They May Also Be At Higher Risk for Breast Cancer

Texas women may be at higher risk for breast cancer, according to recent studies. Lead researcher Dr. Yan Li, an Oakland, California oncologist at Kaiser Permanente, and colleagues discovered that three or more alcoholic beverages a day -- whatever the form -- increase risk of the disease by thirty percent. Considering that the Texas Department of State Health Services classifies an overwhelming ninety-six percent of women in Texas as moderate drinkers, our Lone Star ladies may be particularly vulnerable.

Adding to the high-risk cocktail, however, is lack of health insurance. The Texas Health Institute considers lack of health coverage to be a risk factor for breast cancer, probably due to poor screening and decreased access to care. Twenty-five percent of Texans are currently living without any health insurance whatsoever -- the worst rate in the nation -- and that doesn't include those who are simply underinsured.

The study evaluated the average daily alcohol consumption of over 70,000 women, all of whom were members of the Kaiser Permanente HMO, and had received health exams during the 1978 - 1985 period. By 2004, 2,800 participants had heard the dreadful news: "You have breast cancer." Arthur Klatsky, an investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, reported the full extent of the study"s findings on the twenty-seventh of the month at the European Cancer Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Previous studies have found a link between breast cancer and alcohol. The basic theory (or at least one of them) is that alcohol increases estrogen production, and any consistent increase in that hormone also raises the risk of certain diseases, including breast cancer. What wasn't known, however, was whether or not the form of alcohol mattered. Did it make a difference if women drank wine, beer, or spirits? Evidently it didn't.

A ten percent risk increase was associated with women who drank between one and two alcoholic beverages a day on average, as compared to light drinkers (who drank less than one a day). As alcohol consumption increased, so did the likelihood of being diagnosed with the disease. "The risk of breast cancer increased by thirty percent in women who drank three or more drinks per day," as compared with light drinkers, said Li.

Li went on to explain that all women start with a baseline risk. That "baseline" is different for each individual and dependent on a combination of variables, including weight, lifestyle, family history, and genetics, among others. The average woman in the United States has a one in eight chance of getting the disease. The likelihood of that increases as risk factors increase. No matter where a woman starts on that scale, however, the probability of being diagnosed with breast cancer raises consistently as alcohol consumption increases."...if you drink three or more drinks a day, that risk -- rather than being one in eight -- will be one in six [for the average American woman]," said Li.

Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among Texas women. The disease disproportionately affects minorities, poor, and uninsured women. Fewer African-Americans are diagnosed with it, yet they are at substantially higher risk of dying from the disease, possibly due to lack of care. Other risk factors include obesity -- also a problem in Texas, with more than sixty-two percent of adults either overweight or obese in 2006 - genetics, family history, and lifestyle.

The Texas Breast and Cervical Cancer Services program (BCCS) offers clinical breast and pelvic exams, mammograms, and Pap tests at more than two hundred sites across the state, including in Dallas, Houston, and Austin. The services are presented at no cost for eligible, uninsured women, which may come as a great relief to the twenty-five percent of men and women who are left uninsured in the state. Their goal is to decrease mortality rates for both breast and cervical cancers through proper screening. For regions with such high risks of the diseases, these screenings could be pivotal in years to come.

But wait a minute. Is anyone else confused? Why is the risk so much higher with any type of alcohol? This is the last thing Texas women need. "I thought red wine was actually good for me," we say. Well, different studies on different diseases yield different results. Previous research has linked the antioxidant flavonoids in red wine with heart-protective qualities, especially resveratrol, which is at particularly high concentrations in Cabernet Sauvignon. Coral Lamartiniere, professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, published a study just this August in Carcinogenesis claiming that animals fed resveratrol showed an eighty-seven percent decrease in prostate tumors. When asked about Li's findings, however, Lamartiniere commented, "...the alcohol is obviously a more potent carcinogen than resveratrol is protective against cancer."

Perhaps we should interpret this as most medical professionals do: Don't go overboard with anything. Just because one substance may lower the risk of a certain disease doesn't mean it won't increase the risk of others. "Moderation in all things" is a saying so ancient that most of us don't know or care where it came from, but somehow, someway, it almost always proves true. Li warned that to reduce overall risk for breast cancer, women should lead a healthy lifestyle, including practicing good eating and exercise habits, not smoking, and not drinking heavily. "Modest consumption of anything is the way to go," she said.

Being aware of everyday actions that could increase, or decrease, your risk of disease is an important part of minding your health. Every one of us could learn a thing a two about improving our habits. How you take care of yourself will certainly affect you as you age, and eventually your wallet, as well. If you"re a young individual who tries to keep informed and maintain a healthy condition and lifestyle, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly-affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for you. Visit our website, www.precedent.com, for more information. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans, and an unparalleled "real time" application and acceptance process.

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