Moderate Alcohol Consumption Helps Breast Cancer Survival Rate

A new study shows that women who are moderate drinkers before being diagnosed with breast cancer have a better chance of surviving the debilitating disease.

Women who consumed three to six drinks per week had a significant effect on breast cancer survival rates, according to Polly Newcomb, PhD, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

It is essential to emphasize that this only pertains to moderate drinking, as each drink by a daily drinker actually increases the risk of breast cancer by 7 percent, as stated in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, published online.

 This comes from a study on post- and pre-diagnosis alcohol consumption in a population of women across three states, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, with a total population of 22,890.

Participants spoke of their alcoholic consumption habits over a phone interview, and also spoke upon their personal medical history, physical appearance, and other factors that may affect cancer diagnosis.

“Compared with those who abstained form alcohol before diagnosis, drinkers were younger, of lower body mass index, higher education, and were more likely to have smoked and used hormones,” researchers noted.

So if you’re looking to live a long time, moderate drinking may be the way to go!