Red Wine as Beverage of Choice
Posted 1/15/2012
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This is an article from MedScape with more information and explanation of the possible benefit of red wine in reducing breast cancer risk. Note that the study did not look at recurrence risk for women who had already had breast cancer, but common sense would suggest that reduction in one area is likely duplicated in another. Here is the beginning and then a link:
For Women Who Imbibe, Red Wine May Be Healthier Option
Roxanne Nelson
January 11, 2012 — When it comes to the consumption of alcohol, the message has been decidedly mixed. Some studies show that moderate consumption might offer some health benefits, especially for the heart; other studies show an increased risk for certain cancers with the consumption of a very small amount of alcohol.
A new study has found that the consumption of red wine might offer some degree of protection against breast cancer. The results of this small study, published online December 7, 2011 in the Journal of Women's Health, challenge findings suggesting that all types of alcohol consumption can raise the risk of developing breast cancer.
In the study, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, found that, in healthy premenopausal women, red wine is associated with significantly more free testosterone (mean difference, 0.64 pg/mL; P = .009) and less sex-hormone-binding globulin (mean difference, 5.0 nmol/L; P = .007) than white wine.
In addition, luteinizing hormone was significantly higher with red wine than with white wine (mean difference, 2.3 mIU/mL; P = .027). Follicle-stimulating hormone levels were also higher with red wine, but not reach statistical significance.
These data suggest that red wine acts as a nutritional aromatase inhibitor (AI), the study authors note, which might explain why drinking red wine does not appear to increase the risk for breast cancer.
Intriguing, but More Research Needed
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756728
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