By Jim on
Society & Culture
Alcohol
Cancer
Health

Did Drinking Give Me Breast Cancer? The science on the link is clear, but the alcohol industry has worked hard to downplay it.

Discussion

Fri, 05/11/18

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eati…

Drink alcohol only in moderation — or not at all

The latest dietary guidelines make it clear that no one should begin drinking or drink more frequently on the basis of potential health benefits. So don’t feel pressured to drink alcohol. However, if you do drink alcohol and you’re healthy, there’s probably no need to stop as long as you drink responsibly and in moderation.

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Jim's Doctrinal Statement

Fri, 05/11/18

I don’t drink, suntan, or stay overlong in the sun. I’m also in my 30s. It would be nice if I could I could find a convenient, big-business villain to blame for my skin cancer, given that “none of the big indicators appl[y] to me” either.

Fri, 05/11/18

First of all, hope the doctors have a good grip on your skin cancer, Andrew.

Actually, I think the numbers in the Mother Jones article are reasonable. 3 drinks/day—quite a bit for women, really—increases the risk of breast cancer 25% or so. I’ve seen that elsewhere. To put it in perspective, though, smoking—say a pack a day or so—increases the risk of lung cancer by a factor of 40 or 4000%. The risk of 3 drinks/day for a woman is actually pretty similar to men who eat the most cured meats vis-a-vis colon cancer. The same are also linked to stomach cancer, I believe. (yes, it’s worse here in the smokehouse belt)

So if this argues we need to stop drinking totally, I’ll be dropping by your house to check for bacon, ham, pepperoni, and the like. And smoked fish and cheeses. And we’re going to be rationing your red meat, too. And don’t even think of drinking a Coke, because that leads to heart disease and diabetes. :^) (j/k)

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Fri, 05/11/18

[Bert Perry]

First of all, hope the doctors have a good grip on your skin cancer, Andrew.

Actually, I think the numbers in the Mother Jones article are reasonable. 3 drinks/day—quite a bit for women, really—increases the risk of breast cancer 25% or so. I’ve seen that elsewhere. To put it in perspective, though, smoking—say a pack a day or so—increases the risk of lung cancer by a factor of 40 or 4000%. The risk of 3 drinks/day for a woman is actually pretty similar to men who eat the most cured meats vis-a-vis colon cancer. The same are also linked to stomach cancer, I believe. (yes, it’s worse here in the smokehouse belt)

So if this argues we need to stop drinking totally, I’ll be dropping by your house to check for bacon, ham, pepperoni, and the like. And smoked fish and cheeses. And we’re going to be rationing your red meat, too. And don’t even think of drinking a Coke, because that leads to heart disease and diabetes. :^) (j/k)

Thanks, Bert!
It was just a spot of basal cell carcinoma. The doctors cut it out and all seems well. Kind of scary, though, since I always enjoyed such excellent health.