The Checkup: Drinking Alcohol Raises Cancer Risk

Not the news you wanted to hear, I'm sure.

• It’s hard to get a read on alcohol when it comes to health. Sometimes experts tell you it’s good for you, and sometimes they tell you it’s not. Today’s news falls in the latter category: The Wall Street Journal would like to remind us that as few as two drinks a day raises the risk for certain cancers, everything from breast to lung to liver to colon cancer. Men who drink at least three drinks a day up their odds of death by cancer by 41 percent; for women, two drinks a day raises it by 20 percent. Get more details over here.

• And now for some good news: A new study found that women with family members who carry the gene mutation BCRA, which increases the risk of breast cancer, aren’t at an increased risk for the disease, so long as they don’t carry the mutation themselves. Previous studies led people to believe just the opposite: that even if you don’t carry the mutation, you should be treated as high risk for breast cancer and be screened as such. Read more over at TIME.

• The New York Times reports on a new trend in the hotel industry: doing away with rinky-dink fitness rooms and partnering up with brand name gyms to offer guests top-of-the-line facilities during their stay. Makes me wonder: Does a hotel’s gym facility (or lack thereof) factor into your decision of where you’ll lay your head while you’re on vacation?  Me, I’m happy with a treadmill and TV. Call me old school.

• And in today’s weight-loss news, chug some ice water if you want to shed a few pounds. While you’re at it, encourage your kids to do the same.