TY - JOUR T1 - Late-life increases in alcohol consumption among postmenopausal women appear associated with greater breast cancer risk and less coronary heart disease risk JF - Evidence Based Medicine JO - Evid Based Med SP - 195 LP - 195 DO - 10.1136/ebmed-2016-110503 VL - 21 IS - 5 AU - Tim R Stockwell AU - Tanya N Chikritzhs Y1 - 2016/10/01 UR - http://ebm.bmj.com/content/21/5/195.abstract N2 - Commentary on: Dam M, Hvidtfeldt U, Tjønneland A, et al. Five year change in alcohol intake and risk of breast cancer and coronary heart disease among postmenopausal women: prospective cohort study. BMJ 2016;353:i2314OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text.The hypothesis that alcohol consumption leads to reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) has immense clinical and public policy implications. Some meta-analyses of observational epidemiological studies have reported that ‘moderate’ alcohol use significantly reduces CHD risk. However, this has been contested on multiple theoretical and empirical grounds,1–3 including arguments that selection biases operating across the life course contribute to a false appearance of CHD protection.Health outcomes for a cohort of postmenopausal women (n=21 523) with average age 62.2 years at baseline were assessed over 11 years from the Danish hospital, death records and cancer register. This sample comprised women who agreed to be interviewed on two separate occasions 5 years apart, representing 81% of those enrolled … ER -