Alcohol intake, drinking patterns and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in Denmark: a prospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
The available epidemiological evidence indicates that drinking alcohol per se is associated with breast cancer. However, it has not been investigated how the breast cancer risk for a given total alcohol consumption depends on the drinking frequency.


METHODS
Within the prospective study on 'Diet, Cancer and Health', we examined the relationship between breast cancer, intake of total alcohol and frequency of drinking among 23,778 postmenopausal women, among whom 425 cases of breast cancer accrued during a median follow-up of 4.8 years.


RESULTS
The dose-response relationship between total alcohol intake and breast cancer showed an increase in the rate ratio of 1.10 per 10 g/day (95% CI: 1.04-1.16) with no evidence for differences by type of alcohol beverage. No interaction was found between drinking frequency and total alcohol intake in the risk of breast cancer (p = 0.40).


CONCLUSIONS
The present study supports previous ones in showing a monotonic increase in the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women with increasing average daily intake of alcohol, and this relationship with alcohol intake did not depend on drinking frequency.
Tjønneland
Anne
A
Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. annet@cancer.dk
Thomsen
Birthe L
BL
Stripp
Connie
C
Christensen
Jane
J
Overvad
Kim
K
Mellemkaer
Lene
L
Grønbaek
Morten
M
Olsen
Jørgen H
JH
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors