Women ‘don’t realise’ alcohol and obesity increase breast cancer risk, according to new survey

MOST women are unaware that drinking alcohol or putting on too much weight increases their risk of breast cancer.

A new survey has found fewer than a quarter of females being checked over for symptoms at a breast clinic knew that alcohol could increase their breast cancer risk.

Of those who did know, at least half were unaware how much alcohol was in a glass of wine and a pint of beer.

Researchers also found that fewer than a third of women knew obesity could increase chances of the disease, while 23% were unable to name any risk factors for breast cancer at all.

The research, from Cancer Research UK and Bupa, is being presented at a conference in Liverpool today.

Study co-author Dr Ellen Copson, of the University of Southampton, described the report’s findings as “worrying”.

She said: “There are ways women can potentially reduce their breast cancer risk including drinking less alcohol and keeping a healthy weight.

“But most of the women we questioned didn’t know this.

“It’s also worrying that so few of the women we questioned knew how much alcohol was in various drinks.

“The more alcohol you drink, the more your risk of breast cancer increases.

“But making a decision about whether or how to cut back is more difficult if women aren’t sure about the alcohol content of different drinks.”

According to Cancer Research UK, more than a quarter of breast cancer cases in the UK each year could be prevented through women leading healthier lifestyles, such as keeping a normal weight and drinking less alcohol.

It is estimated that 9% of all cancer cases in the UK among women are linked to weight and obesity, while 6% are linked to alcohol.

Every year in the UK, more than 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and around 11,600 die from the disease.

Around 80% of breast cancers occur in women who are over the age of 50 and nearly half of all cases are diagnosed in people in the 50-69 age group.

One in eight women are likely to develop it at some point in their lifetime.

Dr Daniel Rea, of the NCRI breast cancer clinical studies group, added: “This study highlights that women aren’t always aware that lifestyle changes can have an impact on breast cancer risk.

“We need to find the best time and place to provide this information and use these opportunities to help women know what choices can be made to cut their chances of developing the disease.”

A US study in 2011 found that having just three to six glasses of wine or any alcoholic drink per week raises a woman’s risk of breast cancer.

A medium-sized 175ml glass of wine contains two units of alcohol while a pint of average-strength beer is also two units.