1 Daily Drink Boosts Breast Cancer Risk

Topping off a day's work with a single glass of wine, liquor or beer may be part of your routine. But a new study suggests that this daily indulgence might boost your risk of breast cancer.

The report, from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, found this risk held no matter the type of alcohol. On a positive note, the researchers observed that running or fast cycling – virtually any type of vigorous exercise – lowers a woman's risk of pre- and postmenopausal breast cancers.

The researchers took 119 studies into account, using data from 12 million women and 260,000 breast cancer cases. They found that one small drink (10 grams of alcohol, compared to a standard drink of 14 grams (or 0.6 ounces) raises a woman's premenopausal breast cancer risk by 5 percent and postmenopausal risk by 9 percent.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's measurements, 0.6 ounces of alcohol is equal to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces (a "shot") of distilled spirits or liquor, reports CBS News.

The most active premenopausal women decreased their breast cancer chances by 17 percent, and postmenopausal women by 10 percent, as opposed to the least active women. Moderate activity like walking and gardening meant a 13 percent decreased risk.

The study also examined how diet affects breast cancer risk.

"The findings indicate that women may get some benefit from including more non-starchy vegetables with high variety, including foods that contain carotenoids," (found in carrots, for example), study author Dr. Anne McTiernan said in a news release. "That can also help avoid the common 1 to 2 pounds women are gaining every year, which is key for lowering cancer risk."

Now back to booze. Do these findings mean women should quit their habit entirely because of one study?

"We're not telling everybody to abstain," McTiernan, also a cancer prevention expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, told CBS News. "We're not saying anything other than small amounts do increase the risk for breast cancer."

This is hardly the first study to tackle how alcohol impacts health, and it won't be the last. These studies also often result in controversy. One key caveat of this one? Participants self-reported their drinking habits, CBS News notes, which can be fraught with error.

What's clear is that while there are factors beyond your control, there are steps you can take to mitigate breast cancer risk.

"Wherever you are with physical activity, try to nudge it up a bit, either a little longer or a little harder," Alice Bender, the head of the American Institute for Cancer Research's nutrition programs, said in a news release. "Make simple food shifts to boost protection – substitute veggies like carrots, bell peppers or green salad for chips and crackers and if you drink alcohol, stick to a single drink or less."

Just this year, more than 252,000 new cases of breast cancer – the most common cancer for U.S women – are anticipated.