Teen Drinking Linked to Benign Breast Disease

Study Shows Alcohol Use by Teenage Girls May Raise Risk of Noncancerous Breast Lumps

Teenage and adolescent girls who regularly consume alcohol may be at greater risk for developing benign breast disease in their 20s than their teetotaling counterparts, Harvard researchers report in the May issue of Pediatrics. Benign breast disease or noncancerous lumps, bumps or cysts in the breast are known risk factors for breast cancer.

"These findings raise concern because alcohol intakes by college students has increased greatly in recent years, whereas drinking by adult women is one of few known dietary risk factors for breast cancer," conclude the researchers, who were led by Catherine S. Berkey, ScD,

Alcohol of Any Form is Harmful to Heart Health

While it is often assumed that red wine is beneficial to heart, an alcohol health group in Australia has hit out against the myth and said that alcohol of any kind is detrimental to the health.

The Alcohol Policy Coalition, made up of a number of health groups in Australia, has dismissed some of the recent studies that claimed that people who drink in moderation are at less risk of heart disease than abstainers.

The coalition has come out with a report citing various studies which show that any benefits obtained by light drinking of alcohol is far outweighed by the risk to the long term health.

Commenting on the study, the chief executive of the Victorian Heart Foundation, Kathy Bell said, “After reviewing all the scientific evidence, it appears any positive effects of alcohol in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease have been hugely overestimated. ’In particular, red wine has no special protective qualities.”