Alcohol consumption trajectories and risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women: a Danish cohort study

Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for breast cancer, yet little is known about longitudinal alcohol consumption patterns and risk of breast cancer. A study investigated whether trajectory profiles of alcohol consumption across adulthood were associated with risk of first primary malignant breast cancer in postmenopausal women.At baseline, 28,720 pre-and postmenopausal women aged 50-65 years from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort reported their average alcohol intake over the past 12 months and their average alcohol intake at the ages of 20, 30, 40, and 50 years. Alcohol consumption trajectories were estimated. Breast cancer cases were identified through record linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry. The associations between alcohol consumption trajectories and breast cancer were examined, and 4 alcohol consumption trajectory profiles were identified.
During a median follow-up of 16.5 years, 1,591 cases of breast cancer occurred. A mean alcohol consumption trajectory of > 10 g/day was associated with higher risk of breast cancer (HR: 1.65, 95%CI: 1.35-2.03) compared to a mean alcohol consumption trajectory of < 6 g/day. Researchers found no association between trajectory profiles characterised by lower alcohol intakes in early adulthood followed by increasing consumption of alcohol in adulthood compared to a consistently low intake of alcohol.
Postmenopausal women drinking consistently high amounts of alcohol throughout adulthood had a higher risk of breast cancer compared to women with a consistently low intake of alcohol.
Source: Antoniussen, C.S., Proust-Lima, C., Ibsen, D.B., et al. Alcohol consumption trajectories and risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women: a Danish cohort study. European Journal of Epidemiology, 2024