Ladies, Put Down the Cocktail!

Recently, in the New York Times, I read an article explaining that heavy drinking over a long period of time could raise your risk of developing endometrial cancer. Endometrial cancer is a uterine cancer that arises in the endometrium. This type of cancer is usually seen in women over the age of 40.

The article was of particular interest to me because someone who I have become pretty close to over the past couple years at UNLV had endometrial cancer. The article explained:

The exact mechanism is unknown, but alcohol raises estrogen levels, and it is well established that prolonged exposure to estrogen increases mutations and DNA replication errors, predecessors of cancerous growths.

“Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between endometrial cancer and drinking,” said Veronica Wendy Setiawan, the lead researcher and an assistant professor of research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. “If this is a true association, that’s one more lifestyle change women can make.”

An eight year study was done on about 42,000 postmenopausal women and concluded that women who have two or more drinks a day (beer, liquor, wine, etc.) are at more than twice the risk of women who did not.

This isn’t to say that you will definitely develop endometrial cancer if you drink often. Just keep it in the back of your mind the next time you reach for a cocktail. Wouldn’t some nice, cold water be just as refreshing, sometimes?