According to Statistics Canada, almost 8 out of 10 Canadians consume alcohol regularly. Many of us enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, cocktails with friends or a cold beer on a hot summer’s day.

What you may be surprised to learn is that alcohol is a known carcinogen – a substance that causes cancer. It’s not the type of alcohol, but how much you consume and how often that increases your risk of breast cancer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers alcohol consumption to put you a greater risk for cancer than a high body mass index (BMI), not eating enough fruits and vegetables or not being physically active.

When it comes to cancer risk there is really no safe level of alcohol consumption, according to the World Cancer Research Fund. Recognizing the way we live and the fact that many people do consume alcohol, research on alcohol and cancer risk has led to the development of consumption guidelines.

How much is too much?
Moderation is key. For women, just one standard alcoholic drink per day leads to an increase in breast cancer risk. The more you drink, the higher the risk. Two or more drinks a day can increase your relative risk by 21 per cent. The risk is compounded if you smoke, social smokers included. If you like to smoke when you drink, you increase your risk of developing breast cancer as well as cancers of the mouth and pharynx, esophagus, liver, larynx and colon.

What’s in a “standard” drink?
Knowing what a standard drink is and limiting how much alcohol you consume—daily and weekly—will help you reduce your risk of breast cancer and other health conditions. If you wish to assess your drinking or reduce your alcohol consumption, there are support services and programs to help you.

A “standard drink” is:

• Wine (12%) 5 oz (142 ml) glass
• Beer (5%) 12 oz (341 ml) bottle/glass
• Hard liquor (40%) 1.5 oz (43 ml) glass

A standard drink contains 13.6 grams or 17 ml of alcohol. Remember that many drinks, such as “coolers” and some beers, have a higher alcohol content than the standard drink.

Risks vs. Benefits
You may have heard news reports that drinking a glass of red wine every day keeps your heart healthy. Cancer research shows that the minor health benefits of a glass of wine a day do not outweigh the overall health risks. Your heart will benefit more from being physically active every day, having a more balanced diet, being a healthier body weight and not smoking than by drinking a glass of red wine.

Sources

Canadian Centre for Addiction & Mental Health. Evaluate your drinking. Accessed July 31, 2011.

Health Canada. (2010). Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey. Summary of Results. Accessed July 31, 2011.

International Agency for Research on Cancer. (March 2007). Breast and colorectal cancers are associated with alcohol consumption, says IARC. Accessed July 31, 2011.

World Health Organization. Alcohol. Accessed July 31, 2011.