Does alcohol cause breast cancer?

I don't go in for scare-mongering, but I'm using this #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth to share the truths about breast cancer - and the reality is that some of them are uncomfortable.

Alcohol causes 7 different types of cancer. Studies have proven that it also contributes towards an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

It does this in several ways:

1️⃣ by damaging cells in our body, and making it harder for this damage to be repaired
2️⃣ by affecting chemical signals in your body, which could tell cells to divide more often (cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth)
3️⃣ alcohol makes it easier for cells in our mouths and throat to absorb harmful chemicals

🚩 Cancer Research UK states that alcohol is responsible for 1 in 10 cancers 🚩

Unfortunately it doesn't matter WHAT you drink, just how much you drink. Studies show that the more you drink, the greater your risk is.

Now I don't want to be a Debbie Downer. After all, I'm a firm advocate of the phrase "you only live once". But I'd like to live as long as possible. And that's one of the reasons I've drastically reduced my alcohol consumption. I now rarely drink outside of very special occasions.

And the more you can cut down how much alcohol you drink, the less likely you are to develop cancer - as well as other health conditions like high blood pressure and liver disease.

Fortunately, there are a load of 0% alcohol options available now that mean you still feel like you're having a "grown up drink" when you're out, without actually knocking back the booze. My favourites are Thatchers Zero and 0% Tanqueray.

If you've still got questions about alcohol and breast cancer, I'll do my best to answer them. Just pop a message in the comments, or shoot me an email.

D x