Facebook breastfeeding debate driving you to drink? Not so fast...

If you've been keeping up with the discussions about Facebook letting pro-anorexia members freely mingle (despite research that says "pro-ana" websites are bad for women) while they ban breastfeeding moms for posting pictures of their children eating (despite research that shows breastfeeding is good for women AND their children), you'll know it's enough to drive anyone to drink.

Not so fast. While research does suggest women may receive some benefits from alcohol consumption, new research published yesterday in the online version of the International Journal of Cancer shows caution is in order.

Researchers followed over 41,000 postmenopausal women of diverse ethnic backgrounds, including African-American, Japanese-American, Latina, Native-Hawaiian and White women. They tracked the women for an average of 8 years and recorded their dietary intake (including alcohol consumption), lifestyle decisions, genetic risk factors, and health outcomes. The investigators found women who drank 2 or more alcoholic beverages of any kind (wine, liquor, or beer) daily had twice the risk of contracting endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus) as women who did not drink. They did not find an increased risk for endometrial cancer among women who consumed less than 2 alcoholic drinks daily.

When they separated women according to their preferred/most often consumed beverage, there were differences in rates of endometrial cancer. Women who drank 2 or more servings of wine daily were 3 times as likely to develop endometrial cancer as non-drinkers. Women who drank just 1 or more servings of hard liquor were on average twice as likely to develop endometrial cancer as those who abstained. The investigators did not find any differences among women who preferred beer, mostly because few women identified beer as their primary drink of choice.

The investigators also studied alcohol consumption in relation to other risk factors for endometrial cancer, such as body mass index, history of pregnancy, use of hormone replacement therapy, and smoking. They found lean women (women with a BMI less than 25) who consumed at least two drinks daily had greater risk for endometrial cancer than overweight and obese women. Women who never gave birth also were at greater risk for endometrial cancer if they consumed 2 or more drinks daily. Smokers and women who used hormone replacement therapy did not show increased risk for endometrial cancer based on their alcohol consumption.

So while you may derive some health benefits from enjoying your favorite libation, there also are some risks if you get too carried away too often. In addition to "how many" drinks you have, be mindful of how much you pour into a glass. (Do you ever notice a bottle of wine lasts longer in a restaurant - when someone else is pouring - than it does at home?). Here's a guide to standard serving sizes (yes, that reads 5 ounces for a glass of wine). Bottom line: moderation is key.

Red, red wine - go to my heart?

I was reading the newest issue of Food & Wine magazine this weekend when I came across an article touting all the health benefits of wine (yeah! for my love of red wine). I was pleased to see they were citing premier medical journals as the sources of their information. However, as I read the fine print, I was dismayed they were making broad claims about wine promoting longevity and reducing heart attack risk "for all" based on studies conducted on men.

So, I did what any good researcher of women's health would do - I went to Pubmed and searched both for the articles they cited and to see whether there were similar findings about women available. I found a couple of things.

The blanket statement that drinking wine "promotes longevity" may be misleading. While the authors of the study cited in F&W indeed found that men who preferred to drink wine had a 34% reduction in mortality because fewer died cardiovascular-related deaths, it is important to note some key limitations of this research, acknowledged by the investigators themselves. For one, this study is of a fairly homogeneous sample of older men. Second, the wine drinkers were healthier to start, including fewer smokers, lower triglycerides, and lower BMIs (all of which are associated with cardiovascular disease). Thirdly, the authors explicitly state that caution must be used when trying to extend these findings to the general population and especially to women. Finally, the authors note the relationship between wine and lower mortality rate may reflect other research that has shown wine drinkers tend to make healthier food choices than drinkers of other alcoholic beverages, rather than reflect the benefits of wine itself. Future research is most definitely needed before making claims about longevity.

Although F&W's claim that wine reduces heart attack risk referred to (yet another) study of men, there is research out there on women, heart attacks, and alcohol. Investigators studied 1,885 women's drinking patterns and history of non-fatal heart attacks. They found that women who drank alcohol were consistently less likely to have had a heart attack than women who abstained, and this trend was related to how much women drank. Women who drank less than 1 drink per day cut their risk by 4%, whereas women who drank 3 drinks per day cut their risk nearly in half. This is not a license to down a bottle of wine a day, however. The researchers also found that women who drank enough to become drunk at least once a month were three times as likely to have a heart attack as those who did not drink and six times as likely to have a heart attack as those who did drink without becoming intoxicated. Finally, they found that women who drank wine were less likely to have a heart attack than women who drank liquor.

Now I won't argue with F&W about their finding that red wine has tannins, and tannins do protect against heart disease. I also won't argue too much with them about evidence that suggests wine MAY protect against type 2 diabetes, stroke, cataracts, colon cancer, and brain decline, except to say that many of these benefits probably reflect healthier lifestyles rather than properties of wine. What I will say is that you should consume your research as you would a fine wine - pay attention to its complexity and character, gauge its potential, be clear about its possible faults, and know know how to compare it to recognized standards.