By Samantha Hayes
More than 6,000 volunteers were out in the elements today for the Breast Cancer Foundation Pink Ribbon Street Appeal.
October is Breast Cancer Action Month, and aside from raising money for initiatives like research and support programmes it's also a time to inform women about detection and risk minimisation.
A glass of wine a day is all it takes to increase your risk of developing breast cancer, so when Rowena Mortimer was diagnosed she decided her lifestyle had to change.
"I had my last glass of wine on the 11th of July, 2005, which is the night before I had my bilateral mastectomy and laferectomy. So that was it for me."
Dr Belinda Scott says there is little awareness about the link between breast cancer and alcohol.
"It's surprising to me how many women will have two or three glasses of wine every night. We need to get the message across that that's not okay."
The risk is also increased when linked with other factors.
"If we're drinking alcohol and maybe we're smoking and maybe we're overweight, then all of a sudden we've increased our risk from one-two times to maybe four times," says Dr Scott.
A study of over 1 million women by the World Health Organisation showed that alcohol causes blood oestrogen levels to rise, which in turn increases the risk of breast cancer.
The Breast Cancer Foundation, which held its Pink Ribbon Street Appeal today, promotes a healthy lifestyle – but doesn't push women to give up alcohol altogether.
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