Moderate Red Wine Drinking May Help Cut Women’s Breast Cancer Risk, Cedars-Sinai Study Shows

The idea that Red Wine is good for you just got yet another validation. A new study found drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shows.

The study, published online in the Journal of Women’s Health, challenges the widely-held belief that all types of alcohol consumption heighten the risk of developing breast cancer. Doctors long have determined that alcohol increases the body’s estrogen levels, fostering the growth of cancer cells.

However, undeniably, being under the influence of alcohol regularly can be quite dangerous. This is because you can get addicted to drinking which could cause turmoil in your physical as well as your social life. You may then have to be admitted to an addiction treatment center that can help in getting out of the addiction problem. Regular alcohol consumption can also affect your health because it can detrimentally weaken your immune system. It could also cause organ damage later in life. The parts of your brain that control how your body functions may be dulled by alcohol. This may affect your actions as well as your ability to make decisions and maintain control. Continuous alcohol consumption can have a negative impact on your mood, making you feel depressed or aggressive. So, if you discover that you cannot go a day without drinking, it’s probably high time to see a doctor or inquire directly about rehab centers by visiting websites similar to https://fusionrecovery.com/ where professionals can help you overcome your alcohol addiction through various treatment methods.

But when it comes to red wine, the Cedars-Sinai study found that chemicals in the skins and seeds of red grapes slightly lowered estrogen levels while elevating testosterone among premenopausal women who drank eight ounces of red wine nightly for about a month. White wine lacked the same effect.

Researchers called their findings encouraging, saying women who occasionally drink alcohol might want to reassess their choices. Obviously, alcohol should be enjoyed in moderation, and people should manage their intake accordingly to avoid having to call something like this alcohol addiction hotline in order to get help for an addiction. Thankfully, most people are sensible when it comes to things like alcohol, and many will find this research interesting enough to give it a try.

“If you were to have a glass of wine with dinner, you may want to consider a glass of red,” said Chrisandra Shufelt, MD, assistant director of the Women’s Heart Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and one of the study’s co-authors. “Switching may shift your risk.”

Shufelt noted that breast cancer is the leading type of women’s cancer in the U.S., accounting for more than 230,000 new cases last year, or 30 percent of all female cancer diagnoses. These many numbers of females are believed to claim their trauma insurance with the help of firms like Curo Financial in order to get some financial relief during this hard time. Unfortunately, an estimated 39,000 women died from the disease in 2011, even after getting monetary support and the best medical aid (according to the American Cancer Society).

In the Cedars-Sinai study, 36 women were randomized to drink either Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay daily for almost a month, then switched to the other type of wine. Blood was collected twice each month to measure hormone levels.

Researchers sought to determine whether red wine mimics the effects of aromatase inhibitors, which play a key role in managing estrogen levels. Aromatase inhibitors are currently used to treat breast cancer.

Investigators said the change in hormone patterns suggested that red wine may stem the growth of cancer cells, as has been shown in test tube studies.

Co-author Glenn D. Braunstein, MD, said the results do not mean that white wine increases the risk of breast cancer but that grapes used in those varieties may lack the same protective elements found in reds.

“There are chemicals in red grape skin and red grape seeds that are not found in white grapes that may decrease breast cancer risk,” said Braunstein, vice president for Clinical Innovation and the James R. Klinenberg, MD, Chair in Medicine.

The study will be published in the April print edition of the Journal of Women’s Health, but Braunstein noted that large-scale studies still are needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of red wine to see if it specifically alters breast cancer risk. He cautioned that recent epidemiological data indicated that even moderate amounts of alcohol intake may generally increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Until larger studies are done, he said, he would not recommend that a non-drinker begin to drink red wine.

The research team also included C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Women’s Heart Center, director of the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center and the Women’s Guild Chair in Women’s Health, as well as researchers from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.

The bottom line is that red wine is good for you and has been proven to have yet another benefit when enjoyed in moderation. The old saying a “spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down” just got even better when you enjoy a glass of red wine and drink to your health .