title: Prospective study of alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in Japanese women.
abstract: Epidemiologic evidence is lacking for the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer in Japanese women. We addressed this association in a prospective cohort study with an average follow-up of 7.6 years. At baseline (1988-1990), cohort participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included alcohol use, reproductive history and hormone use. The women were followed up for breast cancer incidence through December 31, 1997. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for breast cancer incidence and any association with alcohol consumption. During a follow-up of 271,412 person-years, we identified 151 women with breast cancer, of whom 45 were current drinkers and 11 drank > or =15 g of alcohol/day. After adjustment for age and other potential risk factors for breast cancer, the RR for current drinkers was 1.27 (95% CI 0.87-1.84) compared to nondrinkers. Average alcohol intake of <15 g/day did not significantly increase the risk for breast cancer. However, risk was significantly increased for women who consumed > or =15 g/day of alcohol (RR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.55-5.54). Age at starting drinking and frequency of consumption per week were not significantly associated with breast cancer risk. Our cohort study demonstrated that Japanese women who consume at least a moderate amount of alcohol have an increased risk of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yingsong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamakoshi
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wakai
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Yoshimizu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niwa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatsuya
authors.forename: Kazuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: Sadao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Shinkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokudome
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyoshima
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamakoshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019392:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: C489332:ADH1B protein, human; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D019392:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1