Let's Talk About Your Boobs
Do you know a single woman on the planet who hasn't been affected by breast cancer in some way? Both my husband and I both lost our aunts to breast cancer; in all likelihood, YOU have a friend or a family member who has at one point been diagnosed as well.
October is breast cancer awareness month, and we should be shouting from the rooftops that women who drink alcohol have an increased risk of getting breast cancer!
If you drink three drinks per week (well, I don't know about you, but that was my nightly average), your risk increases by 15%, increasing by 10% for each additional drink. Yikes!
But here's the stat that I found even more shocking - 70% of Americans don't know this. I'm not sure what the percentage is here in the UK, but I am assuming it's something equally shocking.
Alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen. This puts wine in the same category as tobacco, ASBESTOS, ARSENIC, coal tar, and plutonium, among other things. I'm not saying this to scare you into not drinking; I am sharing this because I didn't know it, and most women don't know it, and at the very least, we should be empowered to know the risks.
October is breast cancer awareness month, and we should be shouting from the rooftops that women who drink alcohol have an increased risk of getting breast cancer!
If you drink three drinks per week (well, I don't know about you, but that was my nightly average), your risk increases by 15%, increasing by 10% for each additional drink. Yikes!
But here's the stat that I found even more shocking - 70% of Americans don't know this. I'm not sure what the percentage is here in the UK, but I am assuming it's something equally shocking.
Alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen. This puts wine in the same category as tobacco, ASBESTOS, ARSENIC, coal tar, and plutonium, among other things. I'm not saying this to scare you into not drinking; I am sharing this because I didn't know it, and most women don't know it, and at the very least, we should be empowered to know the risks.
Breastcancer.org says, “Alcohol can increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Alcohol also may increase breast cancer risk by damaging DNA in cells.”
“ A 2009 study found that drinking even a few alcoholic beverages per week (three to four drinks) increased the risk of breast cancer coming back in women who’d been diagnosed with early-stage disease.”
According to Breast Cancer Research UK, “Around 4,400 breast cancer cases each year are caused by drinking alcohol. The risk increases even at low levels of drinking.”
“ A 2009 study found that drinking even a few alcoholic beverages per week (three to four drinks) increased the risk of breast cancer coming back in women who’d been diagnosed with early-stage disease.”
According to Breast Cancer Research UK, “Around 4,400 breast cancer cases each year are caused by drinking alcohol. The risk increases even at low levels of drinking.”
And while the average woman may not know the risks, you know who does? BIG ALCOHOL. And yet they continue to pink-wash their products and sell them to women as a cure-all for mothering, coping, relaxing, having fun, you name it! It actually makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how we are being preyed upon.
Thankfully, government bodies are starting to wake up and are lobbying for warning labels on alcohol bottles to show that, just like cigarettes, there is a risk for cancer (and liver disease, heart disease, and the list goes on). Still, until then, all we can do is share this knowledge with our friends and family.
So I encourage you, my friend, to share this post with your sister, cousin, aunt, and bestie. This isn't about scaring anyone we love into not drinking; it's about empowering women so they know the risks and get to make a choice.
Thankfully, government bodies are starting to wake up and are lobbying for warning labels on alcohol bottles to show that, just like cigarettes, there is a risk for cancer (and liver disease, heart disease, and the list goes on). Still, until then, all we can do is share this knowledge with our friends and family.
So I encourage you, my friend, to share this post with your sister, cousin, aunt, and bestie. This isn't about scaring anyone we love into not drinking; it's about empowering women so they know the risks and get to make a choice.
Don't take my word for it, lady! Do your research!
