Changes in alcohol consumption and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort

Alcohol consumption is a cause of breast cancer (BC), yet the association between changes in alcohol consumption during adulthood and the risk of breast cancer has been examined little. A study investigated the association between midlife changes in alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer.
Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort including 123,679 women, changes in alcohol intake were obtained by comparing middle-aged participants’ alcohol intake assessed at recruitment and during follow-up, 9.8 years (median) later. In the primary analysis, changes in alcohol consumption were investigated continuously as a change in alcohol intake of 10 g/day, calculated by subtracting the baseline intake (g/day) from the follow-up intake (g/day) and divided by 10 in relation to the risk of subsequent postmenopausal breast cancer, overall, and by hormonal receptor status: oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). In a secondary analysis, changes in alcohol intake were categorised in nine combinations of three intake groups at baseline and follow-up (≤1 g/day, >1-8 g/day, and >8 g/day). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated, using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.
During a median follow-up time of 4.0 years after the follow-up assessment, 2,173 cases of postmenopausal breast cancer were diagnosed. No associations were observed between alcohol changes and breast cancer risk (HR: 0.97, 95% CI 0.93, 1.01) per 10 g/day nor with ER-/PR-, ER+/PR, ER+/PR+, HER2-, or HER2+ specific BC.
Changes in alcohol consumption during midlife were not associated with the risk of postmenopausal BC, either overall or by hormonal receptor status.
Source: C.S. Antoniussen, D.B. Ibsen, A. Olsen, et al.. Changes in alcohol consumption and the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Eur J Nutr. 2026 Jun 19;65(5):170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04008-5