Question

Only take the edge off a day but also improve health. Is wine good for your health? A study of nearly 1.3 million middle‑aged British women examined wine consumption and the relative risk of breast cancer. The relative risk is the proportion of those in the study who drank a given amount of

Some studies have suggested that a nightly glass of wine may not only take the edge off a day but also improve health. Is wine good for your health? A study of nearly 1.3 million middle‑aged British women examined wine consumption and the relative risk of breast cancer. The relative risk is the proportion of those in the study who drank a given amount of wine and who developed breast cancer divided by the proportion of nondrinkers in the study who developed breast cancer. For example, if 10% of the women in the study who drank 10 grams of wine developed breast cancer and 9% of nondrinkers in the study developed breast cancer, the relative risk of breast cancer for women drinking 10 grams of wine per day would be 10%9%10%9% = 1.11. A relative risk greater than 1 indicates a greater proportion of drinkers in the study developed breast cancer than nondrinkers. Wine intake is the mean wine intake, in grams per day, of all women in the study who drank some wine but less than or equal to 2 drinks per week; who drank between 3 and 6 drinks per week; who drank between 7 and 14 drinks per week; and who drank 15 or more drinks per week. Here are the data, for drinkers only:

Wine intake (grams per day) ( xx ) 2.5 8.5 15.5 26.5
Relative risk ( yy ) 1.00 1.08 1.15 1.22
To access the complete data set, click the link for your preferred software format:
Examine the data. Make a scatterplot with wine intake as the explanatory variable, and find the correlation. There is a strong linear relationship. Give the value of the correlation to four decimal places.

Answer 1

A study suggests a correlation between increased wine consumption and a higher relative risk of breast cancer, with recommendations for moderation in alcohol intake, particularly for women at high risk. Conversely, coffee consumption has been shown to have a potential protective effect against breast cancer, although headlines claiming 'Coffee Protects Against Cancer' can be overly simplistic. Lifestyle choices and moderation are critical factors in health and cancer risk.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks whether wine is good for one's health, particularly in the context of its potential relation to breast cancer risk. Epidemiological studies have varying conclusions about the health impacts of different substances, including wine and coffee, on the development of cancers such as breast cancer. Research data on wine consumption indicates that there is a relative risk associated with varying levels of intake. For instance, according to presented data, women who drink 26.5 grams of wine per day have a relative risk of 1.22 for developing breast cancer compared to nondrinkers. This suggests that higher intake of wine correlates with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Moderate consumption of alcohol, including wine, is often recommended, with suggestions to limit alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. However, for women at a high risk of developing breast cancer, studies suggest there may be no safe level of alcohol intake. Conversely, a recent study on coffee consumption reported in the journal Nutrition and Cancer found that women who consume more than five cups of coffee a day were less likely to develop breast cancer than those who never consumed coffee. Yet, headlines stating 'Coffee Protects Against Cancer' can be misleading as they may overstate the findings without considering the multitude of factors involved.

Cultural practices and lifestyle choices, such as drinking alcohol or coffee, exercise, and diet, can both impact cancer rates. The importance of moderation in everything from diet to alcohol consumption is also emphasized for maintaining optimal health.