The different mechanistic interpretations of the epidemiologic data discussed above have significantly different implications for women’s health and disease prevention. To paraphrase Bradford Hill (1965), the most important question from a public health standpoint is whether the frequency of an undesirable event (in this case breast cancer), will be influenced by a change in the environmental feature (in this case alcohol drinking). As discussed below, the answer to this question very much depends upon the mechanistic basis for the observed relationship.
