Study sees link between teen girls' drinking, breast cancer

For teenage girls, alcohol consumption can pose a number of risks: it impairs your judgment, it can land you in the hospital if you consume too much; and it can create enormous hazards for you and others should you decide to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. But now health officials suggest that another risk might also be lurking for teenage girls who drink frequently: It can lead to breast disease that onsets in girls' 20s, or to breast cancer later in life.

Researchers saw a huge increase in how likely girls were to develop benign breast disease (BBD) based on whether they drank often; girls who drank every day or close to every day were five times more likely to develop BBD than those who drank only once a week or less. In addition to putting oneself at risk for BBD, frequent drinking also can mean an increased risk for breast cancer, since BBD boosts one's breast cancer risk. The Harvard Medical School study was published in the journal Pediatrics this month. Catherine Berkey, one of the study's co-authors, said the project was the first in which alcohol data were collected during adolescence, with continued follow-up in the females as they develop disease.

Nearly 7,000 girls started a survey between ages 9 and 15, and reported their alcohol consumption and other behaviors in a follow-up study between ages 16 and 23; another survey done between ages 18 to 27 included questions on breast disease. According to USA Today, "Teen years are a critical time for potential cancer-producing exposures, [Berkey] said, because the mammary glands are undergoing rapid growth during that period. Berkey said she suspects the link is due to alcohol increasing total estrogen levels, raising the likelihood of benign breast disease."

It's not the first time researchers have found indicators for breast cancer among teenagers or children. Another recent study found that being thin during childhood can also be a risk factor. A Swedish study found that "the thinner a woman thought she was at age 7, the higher the risk for breast cancer later in life," according to CBS News. It also seems to prove that breast cancer is an incredibly complex disease; and not one health factor or trigger is responsible for its development. Doctors stress that, as with a bevy of diseases, the best way to protect oneself from developing breast cancer is to maintain a healthy weight through exercise and a sensible diet.

Photo credit: Gonzalo Rivero