Invited commentary: the Framingham results on alcohol and breast cancer
Article Abstract:
Data from studies on alcohol consumption and breast cancer seem to contradict each other. It is puzzling that a well-conducted follow-up study gives results that are not consistent with the greater part of data previously assembled. The issue of causality is not resolved. For drinkers, effect modifiers or exposure characteristics may protect against increased risk of breast cancer. Risk of breast cancer goes up as alcoholic beverage consumption goes up to 40 g, ethanol per day based on a 1994 combined analysis of results of 28 studies. It was shown that risk associated with an average of one alcoholic drink per day was about 10% higher than in nondrinkers. It is difficult to exclude possibility of confounding or other bias. Analysis of data from the Framingham study show that light drinking has no effect on risk of breast cancer. There is some evidence that steady intake of alcohol may affect women differently from more intermittent intake.
Publication Name: American Journal of Epidemiology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0002-9262
Year: 1998
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Invited commentary: The Framingham results on alcohol and breast cancer
Article Abstract:
The effect of light alcoholic beverage consumption on the risk of breast cancer is a subject of controversy. The results of other studies, including the Framingham one, that seem not to support a relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer may be reflective of effect modifiers or exposure characteristics that protect. Unexplained variation among study results seems to be the norm in observational analytical epidemiology, and little is known about reasons. Inverse relation in the Framingham data is a notable outlier. The study is, however, prominent historically and well conducted as well as being large enough for significance in a heterogeneity test. The causality issue is not resolved.
Publication Name: American Journal of Epidemiology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0002-9262
Year: 1999
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Authors' response to "The Framingham Results on Alcohol and Breast Cancer"
Article Abstract:
Public health intervention warning women not to drink because of breast cancer risk is apparently not justified. The article responded to puts the alcohol-breast cancer relation into perspective from a public health point of view. The point estimate for light drinking on the part of the authors is lower than seen in many other studies, but other well-conducted cohort studies also show little or no increase in risk of breast cancer in women who take in less than 15 g alcohol in a day.
Publication Name: American Journal of Epidemiology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0002-9262
Year: 1999
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