title: Alcohol intake, type of beverage, and risk of breast cancer in pre- and postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most studies of the relation between alcohol consumption and breast cancer have shown a modestly increased risk, although the results are still conflicting.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this prospective population-based cohort study was to assess the influence of alcohol intake and type of beverage (beer, wine, or spirits) on breast cancer risk in relation to menopausal status. Among 13,074 women aged 20 to 91 years, we examined the relationship between breast cancer risk, total alcohol intake, and type of alcohol in relation to menopausal status. The women were classified as premenopausal or as postmenopausal at younger than 70 years or 70 years or more.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During follow-up, 76 premenopausal and 397 postmenopausal women developed breast cancer. Premenopausal women who had an intake of more than 27 drinks per week had a relative risk of breast cancer of 3.49 (95% confidence limits, 1.36-8.99) compared with light drinkers (p = 0.011), whereas there were no differences in risk in the lower-intake categories. The increased risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women was independent of the type of alcohol. Postmenopausal women older than 70 years of age who had an intake of more than six drinks per week of spirits had a relative risk of breast cancer of 2.43 (95% confidence limits, 1.41-4.20) compared with women who consumed less than one drink of spirits per week (p = 0.0014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total alcohol intake of more than 27 drinks per week increases breast cancer risk in premenopausal women independently of the type of alcohol. Among postmenopausal women, an intake of spirits of more than six drinks per week increases breast cancer risk.
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen Centre for Prospective Population Studies, Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, H:S Kommunehospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anette Lykke
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjønneland
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gamborg
authors.forename: Ditte
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Høidrup
authors.forename: Thorkild I A
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grønbaek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors