by Dr. Jonny Bowden
You can fill a room with studies showing the health benefits of moderate amounts of alcohol. But it’s important to remember that the studies showing benefits were done on men. There’s actually a small but nasty correlation between alcohol use and breast cancer in women. However, there’s also a simple way to lower the risk.
A study in the journal Epidemiology found that women with dietary folate intake in the lowest 10th percentile who drank more than two grams of alcohol a day had a 59 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared with women who never drank alcohol and whose folate intake was above the median. But the study also found that breast cancer risk was almost identical for women who drank four or more grams of alcohol a day but had the highest folate intake when compared to teetotalers. At least two other large studies have also found this interaction between alcohol and folate.
Women: take a folic acid supplement of 800 mcg a day, which you should be doing anyway, and the risk increase from drinking disappears.
This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com
[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He’s a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master’s degree in psychology. Dr. Bowden is also a life coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of the award-winning book, Living the Low Carb Life. His new book, The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth comes out January 1, 2008. For more information, click here.]