The New York Times recently reported on a study that found a link between women who drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages per day and endometrial cancer. The study, conducted by researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, found that postmenopausal woman who drink heavily doubled their risk of endometrial cancer, compared with those women who drink less.
The study followed 41,574 multiethnic postmenopausal women for an average of eight years, using questionniares about diet and drinking habits. The team found 324 cases of endometrial cancer. It made no difference whether the women drank beer, wine or hard liquor.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 40,000 new cases of endometrial cancer and 7,400 deaths in the United States each year. Endometrial cancer affects the tissue linking the uterus.
“It’s important for women, especially postmenopausal women, to know and understand the consequences of high alcohol consumption. It does not affect just the liver, but alcohol has been associated with breast cancer and now endometrial cancer,” said lead researcher and assistant professor of preventative medicine at the Keck School of Medicine Veronica Wendy Setiawan.
The study will appear in the International Journal of Cancer.
FMI
Read the New York Times article, “Heavy Drinking May Raise Risk of Endometrial Cancer”
Read “Alcohol Consumption Raises Cancer Risk” from the USC News
Read more about endometrial cancer
Technorati Tags: endometrial cancer, women, alcohol, drinking, risk, research
