Tests carried out on mice indicate that the consumption of two alcoholic drinks a day may double the growth rate of existing breast cancer tumors, say researchers from the University of Mississippi, USA, in a presentation made to the American Physiology Society. This new study may change the advice doctors give cancer patients, who are sometimes told to ‘drink moderately’.
The researchers worked on two groups of mice, half were given the equivalent of two alcoholic drinks each day, while the other half received no alcoholic drinks. Breast cancer cells were injected into all the mice. A month later it was found that the mice which had consumed alcohol had tumors weighing 1.4 kilograms (average), about twice as heavy as the mice which did not consume any alcohol.
The scientists also found that alcohol caused the blood vessels in the cancer to grow faster.
According to Jian-Wei Gu, team leader, we produce lots of cancer cells each day, but they rarely grow. However, if the cells establish blood vessels, the tumor grows and thrives (angiogenesis). Jian-Wei Gu said patients receiving treatment for cancer should abstain from consuming alcohol altogether.
American Physiology Society
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today