Binge Drinking and Breast Cancer…Possible Link?

I know, I know, sorry to get all serious on you, but I came across some shocking information today that relates to many college girls. According to BBC news, a new study has come out regarding binge drinking and how it can increase your risk for developing breast cancer.

The article stated that, “Women who drink the equivalent of roughly two bottles of wine over a weekend more than double their risk of breast cancer, say Danish researchers.”

Maybe I have a warped view, but the equivalent of two bottles of wine over the course of a whole weekend in college doesn’t actually seem like that much…and that’s all it takes to DOUBLE your risk?

The study was done on 17,647 nurses and those who drank 22-27 drinks a week had twice the risk of breast cancer, compared with others who only had one to three drinks.

The risk was also greatest when drinks were consumed in a short period of time. Um, can we say power hour?

It is important to note that the study was performed on middle aged women, not college age females. But, if it has that kind of dramatic effect on an older population, it can’t be extremely healthy for us youngsters either.

I read on to find out why this shocking study might be true and found that it may be due to increased estrogen levels. Researchers explain that estrogen is a hormone associated with the development of breast cancer and a higher alcohol intake may increase levels of estrogen.

Take what you want from this information, but I know I will be a little more conscious about my alcohol intake in the future.