Women, Alcohol, & The Holidays
The Holidays are right around the corner, and many of our joyous celebrations are often associated with a plethora of alcoholic beverages. While we have traditionally heard and even recommended that alcohol in moderation is ok, or that red wine has heart health benefits, more recent research says otherwise, especially for women. Over a decade ago, alcohol earned the classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “Class 1 Carcinogen.” Other substances that are in this class, the absolute highest risk class of carcinogen, include tobacco, asbestos, Human Papillomavirus, radiation, and plutonium.
What does it mean to be a carcinogen? Alcohol is also known to cause 7 types of cancers: Head and neck cancers, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, colon and rectal cancers, and liver cancer. In fact, consuming 3 alcoholic beverages per week increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer by up to 15%. Beyond that, for every additional drink per week above those initial 3 can increase the risk of breast cancer by 10% for each additional drink. That means that 1 drink per day each week (aka 7 drinks per week) increases the risk of breast cancer by up to 45% when compared to women who do not drink!
So how does alcohol cause damage? There is no single mechanism of action of alcohol that causes cancer. In fact, alcohol damages cells and tissues in multiple ways, including DNA damage that can cause incorrect division and replication of cells, and it can cause tissue damage that increases the absorption of other carcinogenic substances.
But why is the effect worse in women? Due to body composition differences that cause men to have more body water for alcohol to distribute into, and other body composition factors, women achieve higher blood alcohol levels for the exact same amount of alcohol consumption as men. Thus, it is easier for women to become intoxicated and maintain blood alcohol levels longer than men. Long term, this can lead to increased negative health outcomes.
Should women stop drinking altogether? Well, yes and no. The evidence suggests that there’s no safe level of alcohol consumption for anyone, in particular: women. However, that is often not a realistic expectation. So, limiting alcohol, as much as possible, should be the goal. Fortunately, the invention of edible/drinkable glitters and mocktail mixes, means the holiday season can be enjoyable even when cutting down on alcohol.
