Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to cardiovascular health benefits however, this finding could be affected by a recent study that links alcohol intake to an increased risk of mortality caused by several types of cancer. A team of researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute revealed that within 560,000 cancer deaths during 2009 in the U.S., approximately 20,000, (3.5%), were caused by oncological diseases related to alcohol consumption.
The authors noted that most deaths from oncological diseases in women are attributable to alcohol consumption and were due to breast cancer (56% to 66%), while in men ethanol intake was related mainly with cancer of the pharynx, larynx, esophagus and mouth, (53% to 71%). Coronary artery disease is more common and causes more deaths among women during menopause, compared with breast cancer, which has generated a lot of confusion between the benefits and risks of alcohol consumption and how best suited to balance it.
The American Cancer Society recommends limiting alcohol consumption to one drink a day, (equivalent to 12 g of ethanol), in healthy women. Women who have risk factors for breast cancer, such as family history, should avoid, if possible, alcohol intake or only consume occasionally. However, there is a “threshold security” in the level of alcohol consumption and the risk of developing cancer.
If you do not drink alcohol and there is no reason to start doing so, it is advisable to introduce lifestyle changes that are beneficial for cardiovascular health. If, however, you regularly drink alcohol, try to keep consumption within a moderate range, since larger amounts of ethanol ingestion did not report any additional protection to your cardiovascular system. On the contrary, regular consumption and high alcohol intake can increase blood pressure, increase triglyceride levels and produce cardiac arrhythmias.
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