According to USA Today, new research shows that teenage girls who frequently drink alcohol might be at a higher risk of developing non-cancerous breast disease in their 20s and possibly breast cancer later in life. Teenage girls who drank the most alcohol, which was about every day, were five times more likely to develop breast problems, such as benign breast disease, later on in life than those who never drank or drank less than once a week.
Benign breast disease “includes a number of nonmalignant conditions;” Fibroadenoma, a noncancerous tumor, is the most common in those aged 30 and younger, reports USA Today. The study involved 6,899 women and began when the participants were 9-15 years of age, and information on their alcohol consumption was collected periodically until they all reached ages ranging from 18-27.
Study co-author Catherine Berkey reports that the risk for benign breast disease increased by 1.5 when teenage girls drank one to two days per week, increased to a three times greater risk for those who drank three to five days per week, and to a 5.5 times greater risk for those who drank almost every day of the week. Berkey says she suspects that the connection between alcohol consumption and breast problems is due to alcohol increasing estrogen levels and because “teen years are a critical time for potential cancer-producing exposures because the mammary glands are undergoing rapid growth during that period.”
If you or someone you know has a drinking problem, find help near you.
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