Breast cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Indian women, especially in cities, where later childbirth, less breastfeeding, weight gain, and alcohol use are becoming more common. The hopeful news is that simple lifestyle changes make a real difference, not just after diagnosis but even in preventing cancer in the first place.
Large studies show that women diagnosed with breast cancer can reduce their risk of dying by nearly 40–50 percent simply by adopting modest habits: eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and doing regular physical activity such as brisk walking for about 30 minutes most days of the week. These benefits apply to both estrogen-receptor–positive and estrogen-receptor–negative cancers (Pierce et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology).
But what about preventing breast cancer before it begins?
The largest long-term studies on diet and cancer consistently show that women who follow standard cancer-prevention advice — maintaining a healthy weight, eating mostly plant foods, limiting animal foods, avoiding smoking, minimising alcohol, and breastfeeding when possible — have significantly lower risks of breast cancer and many other cancers. These include cancers of the uterus, colon, lung, stomach, liver, esophagus, oral cavity, and overall cancer risk combined (World Cancer Research Fund / AICR).
Among all these recommendations, one stands out as especially powerful: eating mostly foods of plant origin. A major UK analysis estimated that in a single year, nearly 15,000 excess cancer cases could be traced back to low fruit and vegetable intake from a decade earlier. If a chemical exposure had caused that many cancers, it would have made national headlines. But because the cause was simply not eating enough fruits and vegetables, it attracted little public attention (Parkin et al., British Journal of Cancer).
When researchers combine lifestyle habits into a single “healthy lifestyle index,” the results become even more striking. Women who exercised regularly, ate a plant-rich diet, avoided smoking, and avoided alcohol had a dramatically lower breast cancer risk. Younger women cut their risk by about 50 percent, while older women saw reductions of up to 80 percent (Arthur et al., Breast Cancer Research).
Alcohol, however, remains a stubborn issue. Even light drinking has been consistently linked to increased breast cancer risk. This matters in India, where alcohol use among women — though still lower than in the West — is rising rapidly in urban areas. Alcohol raises estrogen levels and increases activity of aromatase, an enzyme that helps breast tissue and breast tumours make their own estrogen (Key et al., The Lancet Oncology).
This brings us to the popular question: if a woman chooses to drink, is red wine safer than white wine?
Several observational studies, including data from Harvard cohorts, suggest that red wine may carry a lower breast cancer risk than white wine. The reason appears to lie not in the alcohol, but in the grapes. Red wine is made from whole dark grapes — skins, seeds, and all — while white wine is typically made from green grapes with skins removed early. Laboratory studies show that compounds in red grapes can block aromatase activity, reducing estrogen production in breast tissue (Eng et al., Journal of Nutrition).
When researchers tested different fruits for aromatase inhibition, grapes ranked at the very top. Green grapes — the kind used for white wine — showed little effect. Dark grapes used for red wine showed strong suppression. In simple terms, red wine contains natural aromatase inhibitors that white wine lacks. This may partly offset — but not cancel — alcohol’s cancer-promoting effects.
Researchers have even concluded that red wine may act as a “nutritional aromatase inhibitor,” potentially reducing some of the breast cancer risk associated with alcohol. But this does not mean red wine is safe or protective. It only means it is less harmful than white wine (Eng et al., Journal of Nutrition).
The obvious question then is: why accept any alcohol-related risk at all?
You can get the same protective grape compounds — without alcohol — simply by eating grapes, especially dark grapes with seeds. Grape seeds and skins are rich in polyphenols that suppress aromatase and reduce inflammation, without raising estrogen levels or damaging DNA. For Indian women, this is a far safer and culturally easier option than wine.
The bottom line is clear. Alcohol increases breast cancer risk, even in small amounts. If someone refuses to eliminate alcohol, red wine is less harmful than white wine — but neither is protective. A plant-rich diet, regular physical activity, healthy weight, breastfeeding, and avoiding alcohol altogether remain the strongest, safest strategies for reducing breast cancer risk in India and worldwide.
References
Pierce JP et al. Influence of diet and physical activity on breast cancer survival. Journal of Clinical Oncology.
World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research. Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: Breast Cancer Update.
Parkin DM et al. The fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle factors in the UK. British Journal of Cancer.
Arthur RS et al. Healthy lifestyle and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Research.
Key TJ et al. Alcohol, hormones, and breast cancer. The Lancet Oncology.
Eng ET et al. Suppression of aromatase activity by grape-derived polyphenols. Journal of Nutrition.