A new study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research finds all levels of alcohol consumption, even light levels, can raise the risk of breast cancer. Previous research and studies dating back to 1987 have found a link between the two, but not many looked into if light consumption affects the risk as much as heavy consumption.

Researchers on this particular study focused on how alcohol affect biology and breast cancer. Specifically, the looked at how alcohol affected hormone levels, production of cancer-causing compounds and the blocking of metabolic pathways.  They then looked at 15 met-analyses of light drinking and the risk of breast cancer. They found that 13 of the analyses showed a relationship, even with low drinking levels. This data was gathered from the Global Information System on Alcohol and Health and the BLOBOCAN database.

Research on this topic is extremely important as breast cancer is one of the most common cancers, causing 144,000 deaths in 2012. Over 38,000 of those deaths were caused by alcohol. Having information on the link can be used for prevention, research and education.