Women warned of raised breast cancer risk from one alcoholic drink a day

Heavy drinkers downing three or more drinks a day were found to have a 40-50 per cent increased risk of the illness, according to a review by researchers from Italy and Germany.

They said the findings further added to evidence pinpointing the role of alcohol in breast cancer and recommended women should not have more than one drink a day, while those already at higher risk should avoid it altogether or only drink occasionally.

In a review published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, they estimated alcohol accounted for one in 20 cases of breast cancer in Northern Europe and North America and as many as one in 10 in Italy and France.

Each year nearly 48,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with the disease which claims the lives of around 11,000. One in eight women are likely to develop the condition in their lifetime.

Experts who carried out the review looked at more than 100 studies involving tens of thousands of women. They found increasing alcohol consumption led to a higher risk of the disease.

But they said breast cancer was slightly different to other cancers as even small amounts of alcohol could stimulate its development.

They pointed to evidence alcohol increased risk through its impact on hormonal mechanisms in breast tissue.

Sarah Williams, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “Research has already shown that the risk of breast cancer increases the more alcohol a woman drinks.

“But this new study adds to the evidence that drinking even small amounts of alcohol – about one drink a day – can slightly increase the risk of breast cancer.

“Women can help reduce their risk of breast cancer by reducing the amount of alcohol they drink, keeping a healthy weight, and being physically active.”

Other factors which can affect the risks of breast cancer include getting older, previous history of the illness, cases among other family members, hormone replacement therapy, obesity and reproductive history.