Report Links Breast Cancer to Antibiotic Use
 (Chicago, Reuters News, 2/17/04)

An examination of the medical and prescription records of 10,219 female members of a group health plan by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle indicates an association between taking antibiotics and developing breast cancer. Having more than 25 prescriptions or taking antibiotics for at least 500 days over the course of approximately 17 years doubled the subjects' risk of breast cancer, when compared with the women who took no antibiotics. The scientists speculate that antibiotics might impair the intestine’s ability to assimilate cancer-preventing foods or might compromise immune response. It is also possible that the medical conditions for which the drugs were prescribed may contribute to the cancer risk. In any case, these findings suggest that avoiding the long-term use of antibiotics, where possible, is advisable.