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Postmenopausal women who drink more
than a half a glass of
alcohol per day and have low intakes of the B
vitamin folate may be at increased risk of breast cancer.
The researchers found that these women
were 60% more likely
to develop breast cancer than those who did not drink alcohol
and had the highest intake of folate.
For most women, low B-vitamin intakes
do not represent a major risk factor for breast cancer.
In this study, the exception was among women who consumed
little folate, but regularly drank alcohol.
Alcohol use has been linked to a slight
increase in the risk for breast cancer. And folate may be
an important part of the body's capacity to repair the genetic
damage that can lead to cancer.
Alcohol is broken down in the body into
a chemical called acetaldehyde,
which has been shown to cause cancer.
Without
adequate folate, the body may not be able to undo the harm
caused by alcohol.
The team of researchers reviewed information
on more than 34,000 postmenopausal women and assessed a
range of health and lifestyle factors including diet and
vitamin intake. After 12 years, nearly 1,600 women had developed
breast cancer.
Women who drank the most alcohol each
day but who consumed the highest level of folate had about
the same risk of breast cancer as women who did not drink
alcohol and had low intakes of folate.
Folate-rich foods include
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green
leafy vegetables
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dried
beans
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peas
Epidemiology
July 2001;11
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