Breast cancer tied to postmenopausal drinking

Women who drink heavily are more likely to develop breast cancer than those who do not, research by the Aichi Cancer Center in Nagoya showed Tuesday.

According to the research, the incidence of breast cancer among postmenopausal women who drink more than 1.26 liters of sake per week is 1.74 times higher than those who do not drink.

"While the link between alcohol and breast cancer has already been noted in Europe and the United States, our study sheds light on the correlation among postmenopausal Japanese women," a senior staff member at the center said. "Women had better abstain from heavy drinking to prevent breast cancer."

The research was conducted on 1,754 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer at the center's hospital and 3,508 who were not. It shows that in general the rate of developing the cancer becomes higher in accordance with the increase in alcohol intake, particularly after menopause.