Think Before You Drink

By Health Day

Story Created: Apr 23, 2012 at 7:00 PM CDT

Story Updated: Apr 24, 2012 at 7:00 AM CDT

Underage girls who drink alcohol could be putting their breast health at risk.

In a recent survey, more than 40 percent of high-schoolers said they'd had alcohol in the previous month. Not only is this illegal it could set the stage for a serious disease in young women.

A new study followed nearly 30,000 women for more than 10 years. Early in the study, the researchers asked whether they drank when they were teenagers.

The women who drank alcohol as teens were more likely to develop breast changes that could put them at higher risk of breast cancer. These changes called proliferative benign breast disease cause certain types of cells in the breasts to grow more than they should.

Although not everyone who develops these breast changes goes on to get breast cancer, making lifestyle choices that promote prevention is always best.

Too many teenagers have found that alcohol can lead to life-changing problems, ranging from being arrested to getting into car accidents. Today's news shows us that we're still learning more ways how drinking too early can cause long-term damage.

I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.

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