Wine...can we hash this out again please

wallycat
wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
edited June 2014 in Recipe Swap for Healthy Living
Hi all, I'm sure this has been beaten to death, but wonder if I can bring it up again.
I enjoy red wine. I've had 1-2 glasses with dinner since I can remember.
I am reading mixed things and most of it says even one glass increases risk for breast cancer.

I looked at my bottle of red today with fear.

Do you all drink wine?
Any recurrences??
Can you guys just blab with me about this to help me deal?

TIA
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Comments

  • ake
    ake Member Posts: 684
    edited April 2007
    i drink wine. do i drink it every night? no. but i do enjoy my red wine. usually on the weekends as a treat or a night out during the week. everything in moderation
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  • jezza
    jezza Member Posts: 698
    edited April 2007
    OK I confess!
    I have 2 glasses of wine every night with dinner.Have a night off every now and then but its rare.
    No recurrence for 15 years.
    Nothing like settling down with hubby and a nice wine at the end of the day.
    Go for it!!
    jezza
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  • essie
    essie Member Posts: 6
    edited April 2007

    I'm not a wine drinker but I like to have a beer every night, should I give this up?

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  • Sierra
    Sierra Member Posts: 1,638
    edited April 2007
    Hello:

    I am not giving up my wine
    it is not that much
    and I enjoy it

    a nice chardonnay in summer

    ...
    or a bit of Red..

    there re NO guarantees


    best


    )
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  • mcgaffey
    mcgaffey Member Posts: 241
    edited April 2007

    I stopped all wine/beer when I was diagnosed but I have been on a health kick and weight loss program since November and decided I didn't need it nor want it with all the mixed messages out there. I feel good. I am not against a glass now and again and do believe in the power of moderation, but not right now.

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  • terri01
    terri01 Member Posts: 63
    edited April 2007
    Where did you hear the information wine is bad for cancer. I just read this link.. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/red-wine-and-cancer-prevention

    Terri
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  • lkc
    lkc Member Posts: 1,203
    edited April 2007
    When I was initially dxed my onc rec one glass a day, I didn't enjoy wine while opn Chemo, so I didn't indulge.
    Now I am back to my regular 1-2 glasses per evening, and sometimes more on the weekend.
    I adjusted my diet and feel that the alcohol content in a glass or two is neglible.
    Linda
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  • ravdeb
    ravdeb Member Posts: 3,116
    edited April 2007
    I was told to drink one to two glasses of red wine a day. I don't drink that much because it's fattening but I see nothing wrong with that much wine. It's not a lot.

    It is supposed to be good for the cholesterol and I have high cholesterol.

    I like dry white wine as well (I just like WINE!) and I drink that when I want to and how much I want! I don't do it every day.

    The thing is...do NOT binge on it or anything else. Binging is bad all the way around...

    Bottoms up!
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  • sam408
    sam408 Member Posts: 1,099
    edited April 2007
    I just asked my rad onc about this yesterday because I was concerned about drinking while taking lexapro. I was told a glass or two with dinner or whenever wouldn't hurt me. And there was no mention of staying away from red although I'm more of a white or blush drinker.
    Like someone else said, everything in moderation.

    Sheila
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited April 2007

    I don't drink any alcohol, including wine, but have read only good things about moderate intake (1-2 glasses/day) being healthy for your heart and general feeling of wellness. I have noted one big caution, though, and that is for one to limit their intake of NSAIDs and especially of Tylenol, when also ingesting alcohol. I think this applies only to people who take the drugs daily, like for chronic pain or insomnia (as in Tylenol PM).

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited April 2007
    Thanks all.
    The pubmed (NIH) site has lots of things against it and only a few about resveratrol--but not necessarily taken in alcohol.

    I appreciate your thoughts.
    I guess life is short enough for me to cheat myself out of the few things I enjoy. No guarantees as it seems except for birth control pills and alcohol, I did all the "right" things and got it anyway...grrrrr.

    Thanks so much for taking time to post and share.
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  • marshakb
    marshakb Member Posts: 1,664
    edited April 2007
    Terri, thanks so much for that link. I have copied a quote from there that I found very interesting. FYI I am not a red wine drinker, beer is my choice but thinking maybe I should acquire the taste for a nice red every once in awile instead.

    "Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol called a phytoalexin, a class of compounds produced as part of a plant's defense system against disease. It is produced in the plant in response to an invading fungus, stress, injury, infection or ultraviolet irradiation. Red wine contains high levels of resveratrol, as do grapes, raspberries, peanuts and other plants."

    Well, as soon as chemo is over, I will be stocking up on grapes, raspberries, peanuts, and whatever the other plants are! Great info Terri..........Marsha
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  • mccarroll
    mccarroll Member Posts: 360
    edited April 2007
    I also drink an occasional glass of wine, but I prefer white. Red makes me do funny things . I asked my onc if I could drink during chemo and she said I could but in moderation. Unfortunately, all liquor tasted horrible during chemo and I really missed my occasional fruity martini. Now, 5 months past chemo, everything is back to normal in the tastebuds area and I indulge 1-2 times a week.
    I read a report that said people who drank (before dx and tx) tolerated chemo better. Less nausea than the non-drinkers. It's an interesting stat but I wonder how true it is.

    Karen
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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited April 2007
    OK, I know we are not mice, but I hate studies like this:

    Why alcohol boosts breast cancer risk: study

    April 30, 2007 11:41:35 AM PST

    A study in mice shows that moderate alcohol consumption stimulates the growth and progression of breast cancer by fueling the development of new blood vessels -- a process called "angiogenesis." It does this by boosting expression of a key growth factor known as vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF.

    Drinking alcohol -- even moderate amounts - is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer in women. A recent study found that 60 percent of breast cancer cases in women worldwide were attributable to alcohol consumption. But the mechanism(s) of alcohol-induced breast cancer are poorly understood.

    Dr. Jian-Wei Gu and colleagues from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson examined the effects of alcohol on tumor growth and progression of breast cancer in mice.

    For 4 weeks, 6-week old female mice consumed regular drinking water or water containing 1 percent alcohol, which is equivalent to about 2 to 4 drinks in humans. In week 2, the animals were inoculated with mouse breast cancer cells.

    "We found after about 4 weeks that breast tumor size almost doubled in mice that drank alcohol compared to control mice given plain water," Gu noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health. Moderate alcohol intake also caused a noteworthy increase in tumor blood vessels compared with no alcohol intake.

    The team also observed a significant increase in VEGF levels in the tumors of mice consuming alcohol compared to the tumors of control mice.

    "VEGF can promote the formation of new blood vessels," Gu said. "This suggests that alcohol can induce tumor angiogenesis."

    He presented the research at the American Physiological Society's annual meeting, part of Experimental Biology 2007, underway in Washington DC.
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  • Carmelle
    Carmelle Member Posts: 388
    edited April 2007
    the above study was alcohol in general not wine. there are numerous studies on red wine and survival, prevention.


    Michelle
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  • Rosemary44
    Rosemary44 Member Posts: 2,660
    edited April 2007

    I think the mice are very fortunate to have so many Dr's caring for their health. I wonder what it would take to have them all look at us for a change?

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited April 2007
    Quote:

    I think the mice are very fortunate to have so many Dr's caring for their health. I wonder what it would take to have them all look at us for a change?



    LOL!!!!!!!

    Boy, I needed that today!!
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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited May 2007
    I will not give up my wine!!

    But I do take folic acid, which several studies have shown completely reverses any negative effect that wine might have with regard to breast cancer.
    Quote:

    A study of 17,000 women has found that women who consume about three drinks per day but take 200 micrograms of folate or folic acid (Vitamin B9) per day have a lower risk of breast cancer than do alcohol abstainers. http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/HealthIssues/1104371314.html



    Quote:

    The Harvard Nurses' Health Study, following 88,818 women from 1980 to 1996, found that breast cancer risk was 24 percent higher for those consuming 15 grams of alcohol or more per day, compared with nondrinkers. However, daily consumption of 600 micrograms of folic acid returned the risk to the level of nondrinkers. http://www.cancerproject.org/nyn/breast_cancer/diet/folic_acid.php



    Cheers!
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  • rosieS
    rosieS Member Posts: 83
    edited May 2007
    "Drinking alcohol -- even moderate amounts - is a well-established risk factor for breast cancer in women. A recent study found that 60 percent of breast cancer cases in women worldwide were attributable to alcohol consumption. But the mechanism(s) of alcohol-induced breast cancer are poorly understood."

    What recent study are they referring to? This statistic seems way out of line.

    I have given up sooo much already, I do not see how having one glass of red wine with dinner can be harmful. If it didn't have any calories, then we'd be in business!
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  • Rosemary44
    Rosemary44 Member Posts: 2,660
    edited May 2007
    Well I think its quite obvious by now that mice shouldn't be drinking. Period. It's not good for them.

    For the rest of us, it seems to be ok. Otherwise wouldn't they want to do some research on us? We're fine.
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited May 2007
    This is taken from an article on cancer-fighters in Women's Health magazine and kind of cleared up for me the actual physiology of the link between excess alcohol and breast cancer. The part about the liver producing estrogen really surprised me. That estrogen just seems to seep out of every freakin' organ!

    Know your booze clues
    Though studies touting red wine's benefits — a stronger ticker, better memory, longer life, and even, possibly, cancer prevention — come out about as often as Brad Pitt adopts a kid, that doesn't mean an open bar is a prescription for health. While a single glass of vino is probably good (thanks mostly to resveratrol, an antioxidant in grapes that protects cells against free radicals, the unstable molecules that damage them), studies indicate that women who throw back two or more cocktails a day up their breast cancer risk by about 40 percent. Why? "Alcohol increases the liver's production of estrogen, and the more estrogen in your body, the greater your risk of getting cancer," says Wendy Chen, M.D., an oncologist and epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School.

    Prevention prescription You can undo some of the consequences of girls' night out by popping a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid. When you drink, your body turns alcohol into a carcinogen that hurts the DNA in cells, but folic acid seems to help repair the damage. Researchers say 400 micrograms counterbalance the effects of only one drink, though. The bottom line? "With one drink per day, the benefits of red wine are in balance with the harms, so it's okay to have a glass with dinner," Dr. Goetz says.
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  • ADK
    ADK Member Posts: 2,259
    edited May 2007
    I have decided life is a risk without any guarantees and I am not giving up quality for quantity. I'm keeping my wine. I feel sorry for those poor mice. Is there an AA for mice?
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  • Rosemary44
    Rosemary44 Member Posts: 2,660
    edited May 2007
    As we know anything goes for mice, the sky's the limit. AA, Wisconsin cheese, it's all in their health package.

    I'll bet a dollar that taking 400 mcg of folic acid is not enough. We have to be high in folates all the time. Keep that raw spinach going in too.

    Rosie,

    I have to agree "60 percent of breast cancer cases in women worldwide were attributable to alcohol consumption" Stop all research, we found the answer. Put those scapels and needles down.

    That's the dumbest stat I ever read.


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  • ADK
    ADK Member Posts: 2,259
    edited May 2007

    I agree that there has to be something wrong with that stat. If it were true, why would an onc tell their patients that any alcohol was okay even in moderation? They would be saying "NO!!!!!" I think it was plucked out of the air for drama.

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  • Rosemary44
    Rosemary44 Member Posts: 2,660
    edited May 2007

    My Onc who doesn't talk about anything said it was ok for a glass of wine. I happened to mention I was going on a wine country tour, and I wasn't looking for his advice, but he offered it anyway.

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  • meliaanne
    meliaanne Member Posts: 682
    edited May 2007

    If we are triple negative, therefore the tumor was not estrogen receptive, does it make a diff? By the way, my oncologist also sees no problem with a couple of drinks now and then. I am not drinking b/c am on chemo and it doesn't appeal to me, but am hoping it will again someday!

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  • mccarroll
    mccarroll Member Posts: 360
    edited May 2007
    I'm going to be a mouse in my next life. Man, they get forcefed sugar, alcohol. All the good stuff.

    I'm with everyone else on the stats thing. Cancer is a crap shoot and I don't think there is a lot that we can do to avoid this lovely war.

    Karen
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  • Rosemary44
    Rosemary44 Member Posts: 2,660
    edited May 2007
    If I were triple neg, I'd still watch out for estrogen. From a report that's been circulating, estrogen turns off our immune system that allows a tumor to get a hold.

    The Dr.s have to catch up to this news and not just let women think they don't have to concern themselves with getting rid of extra estrogen in their bodies. There might be things you can do but who's telling you to do it?
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  • Cyndie
    Cyndie Member Posts: 7
    edited May 2007
    Hmmm...if it's the alcohol, wouldn't my sister (an alcoholic) have gotten BC instead of me (a social drinker and healthy eater)?

    I'm not wishing anything on her, she has enough on her plate. Maybe it was my turn? Maybe I have so much happiness in my life, it was time for a little rain?

    Whatever. I will continue to enjoy a drink or two or even three a week. After my diagnosis, it was hard to keep eating healthy. I mean, what did it get me? I started eating ice cream for dinner, and cookies for breakfast. I'm pass that now. It really doesn't make you feel any better. But, now that I'm 52, I think, man, I never let my husband buy me chocolates for Valentine's Day. Why? Now, I've decided I'm going to eat what I want, when I want. I haven't gained any weight, still could lose 20 pounds, but I'm not spending any more of my life worrying about it. Luckily, I really like fruits and veggies. You know - life is too short. I tell myself I'm darned good looking for my 52 years and if I want chocolate or a margarita, I'm going to have it!

    Cheers to all you wonderful ladies!
    Cyndie
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  • ADK
    ADK Member Posts: 2,259
    edited May 2007

    I am right there with you, Cyndie!!!

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