The research of Dana-Farber breast oncologist Wendy Chen, MD, provided some of the earliest evidence that the risk of breast cancer increases with increased drinking, even with less-frequent drinking. She and her colleagues reported in 2011 that three to six drinks a week was associated with a small increase in breast cancer risk.
In the past ten years, knowledge about alcohol and breast cancer has been changing as studies produce new results and are publicized, sometimes dramatically, in the media.
Studies have continued to support the link between alcohol intake and breast cancer risk.
“There’s been more and more evidence showing that higher levels of alcohol use are associated with higher breast cancer risk,” says Chen.
What has changed, however, is the sense that some level of drinking has health benefits, particularly heart health. Recent studies have not consistently supported that claim. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations related to alcohol use, drinking less is better for your health.
The challenge, says Chen, is integrating this knowledge into a daily practice to create a healthy lifestyle. Chen recommends the following:
- If you choose to drink alcohol, try to limit yourself to one to three drinks per week. (One drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.)
- If you can avoid it, don’t drink every day. Slight variations, like a drink every day on vacation, then cutting back when you return, aren’t important; it’s the cumulative lifetime consumption that influences the cancer risk.
- Prioritize healthy habits. Getting regular exercise (such as brisk walks) and limiting alcohol use are recommended if possible.
These general recommendations apply to all adults, regardless of age.
Is it safe for breast cancer survivors to drink alcohol?
For those who are cancer survivors, the evidence is less clear. People with a history of breast cancer vary widely in terms of their health and treatment status, so the group is harder to study in risk assessing research.
Similarly, those who have an elevated risk of cancer based on their family history or genetics also vary in terms of their risk and approach to risk reduction. As a result, Chen offers the same general recommendations as above, but counsels her patients more specifically based on their personal health status and goals.
Learn more about alcohol consumption and cancer risk.
If I eliminate alcohol, do I eliminate my risk for breast cancer?
No. There are many factors that, along with alcohol consumption, can contribute to a person’s breast cancer risk. Some, such as family history, medical history, breast density, and the age of your first period, are not under your control.
How can I lower my breast cancer risk?
Chen suggests focusing on the factors you can control:
- Work towards or maintain a healthy weight. A healthy weight varies from one person to another, and it is possible to be healthy at a heavier weight. Obesity, however, increases the risk of thirteen different cancers, including breast cancer. Learn more about obesity and cancer risk.
- Eat a healthy diet of whole foods and avoid ultraprocessed foods. Learn more about ultraprocessed foods and how to avoid them.
- Exercise: Taking a brisk 30-minute walk each day can reduce the risk of cancer and have other health benefits.
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center also has helpful resources for weight management.
Dana-Farber’s Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Services and Healthy Living has resources to help with healthy living including exercise and nutrition.
Use our tool to assess your personal risk for breast cancer and how to reduce it.
About the Medical Reviewer
Dr. Chen received her MD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. She completed her internal medicine residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and her fellowship in hematology-oncology at Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare. She received her MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1999. She has been on staff at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a research associate at the Channing Laboratory since 1999.
Wow, Thats Hard I love my Red wine! Is it the Sugar content in the wine? Dr.Chen is my doctor! Love her! Im a 10 year Breast Cancer Survivor. Hopefully My Healthy eating of Tons of Green veggies and Intake of Chia seeds, well Balance it out! You gotta live right!? I feel like everything can cause Cancer these days! Frustrating!
Although heart disease and cancer are both in my family history, cancer seems to be a bigger risk for me, so I would curtail alcohol consumption. I would be interested though in the demographics and/or cancer family history to see if those who consume more alcohol might already have a genetic predisposition to the disease.
I am a 68 year old woman who has recently completed treatment for breast cancer: mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. I used to drink about four glasses of wine per week despite a family history of breast cancer as I was under the impression that a moderate amount of drinking alcohol was okay. Once I was diagnosed seven months ago I ceased drinking alcohol altogether as I feel anything I can do to take charge of my health I am willing to do.
Is it the sugar? I’ve been drinking organic tart cherry juice because it has more of the heart healthy nutrients than wine does, without the alcohol. In view of the study perhaps I shouldn’t be doing this because of the sugar? Also it seems like 330 out of 100,000 people is not too far outside the realm of the average number of people who get breast cancer anyway? It would be useful to know if it is the alcohol or sugar content that’s the problem.
Hi Carrie —
Thank you for your question and for reading our Insight blog. We spoke with Dr. Chen about this and she confirmed that the risk is related to alcohol content, not the sugar content.
Wishing you all the best!
I read that a combination of alcohol and estrogen (Premarin) increased breast cancer chances.
I think a lot of the comments are correct– I wonder if all other factors were exactly the same– hormone levels, body fat ratios, SAME level of health/fitness, and genetics. If my dad were an alcoholic and that affected my fetal DNA, or it combined with my teetotaling mother’s family predisposition for female cancers– was that accounted for? Also, I’d love to know how to take the sugar out of alcohol and keep it palatable and effective because I sure want some of that. Finally, researchers PLEASE remember that when the general public who has not had breast cancer sees this type of headline they will tend to blame the cancer sufferer– they will judge that his/her drinking behavior caused the cancer. Even if it’s the person who has just one drink a week. Many survivors know this type of judgment– it’s not pleasant to be grilled on whether you ate healthy enough to keep cancer at bay. This causes more shame and trauma for people who already have enough of that. Do no harm. Please.