Alcohol - Menopause And Healthy Living: Menopause Managing The Change Of Life

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Alcohol

Not only can alcohol trigger hot flashes, but it also disrupts sleep on its own. For midlife women who already have sleep problems because of night sweats or other age-related factors, alcohol only compounds the problem.

Regular alcohol consumption is linked with a 10% to 15% increase in breast cancer risk. It also increases the chances of hip fractures, hemorrhagic stroke, and, at more than one drink a day, colon cancer. Heavy drinking increases the risk of liver disease, cancer, alcoholism, falls, and motor vehicle crashes.

How much is too much? Two or three drinks a week is probably safe; two or more a day is not. Even though alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of heart disease, experts do not recommend that women drink alcohol for this reason. Remember that alcohol also has lots of calories, so regular drinking can make it harder to lose or maintain weight. And not only do women metabolize alcohol less effectively than do men, but as they age their tolerance for alcohol decreases.

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Last updated:	August 13, 2007

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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