A comprehensive study published on Monday has found that even light alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of cancer-related deaths among older adults in Britain. The research, which tracked 135,103 adults aged 60 and older over a 12-year period, revealed that the heightened risk was particularly pronounced among those with pre-existing health conditions or those living in low-income areas.
The findings challenge the long-held belief that light or moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial for heart health. The study found no evidence of a reduction in heart disease-related deaths among light or moderate drinkers when compared to occasional drinkers, regardless of their health status or socioeconomic background.
Light drinking, as defined by the study, refers to an average daily alcohol intake of up to 20 grams for men and up to 10 grams for women. To put this into perspective, a standard drink in the United States contains 14 grams of alcohol. Dr. Rosario Ortolá, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, emphasized that the study did not find any beneficial association between low alcohol consumption and overall mortality. On the contrary, the study suggests that the risk of cancer likely increases “from the first drop” of alcohol.
These findings add to a growing body of evidence that is shifting the way scientists view alcohol consumption. Recent studies have begun to use new methodologies to more accurately assess the risks and potential benefits of alcohol. Previous research, which often suggested health benefits from moderate drinking, may have been flawed due to reliance on comparisons with abstainers—a group that includes many individuals who may have stopped drinking due to pre-existing health issues. This could have led to a misleading impression that light drinkers were healthier.
This new study comes at a time when the U.S. is preparing to update its official guidelines on alcohol consumption. Two scientific groups are currently reviewing the relationship between alcohol and health in advance of this update. One of these groups is an intergovernmental subcommittee that includes representatives from various health agencies and launched a study on alcohol intake in April 2022. The other group, convened by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and funded by Congress, is conducting a similar review.
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines currently advise that “drinking less is better for health than drinking more,” recommending that adults aged 21 and older limit their alcohol consumption to one drink. However, alcohol consumption has been on the rise in the United States, with deaths related to excessive alcohol use increasing by nearly 30% between 2016-2017 and 2020-2021.
Internationally, there is a growing movement towards more conservative guidelines on alcohol consumption, driven by increasing concerns about alcohol’s role in cancer and doubts about its supposed cardiovascular benefits. In 2023, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction issued new guidance stating that no amount of alcohol is safe for health and warned that even small amounts can be harmful. According to the Canadian guidelines, consuming one to two drinks per week is unlikely to lead to alcohol-related consequences, but the risk of cancer increases with three to five drinks per week, and the risk of heart disease and stroke rises with seven or more drinks per week.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also weighed in, noting that even low levels of alcohol consumption can pose health risks, though it emphasizes that most alcohol-related harm results from heavy episodic or continuous drinking.
In the British study, researchers found that while light drinking among older adults was linked to a higher risk of death, particularly from cancer, this risk was somewhat mitigated for those who primarily drank wine or who consumed alcohol only with meals. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but Dr. Ortolá suggested that slower alcohol absorption or other healthy lifestyle choices might play a role.
However, the study also found that individuals with pre-existing health conditions or those living in low-income areas were more susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol. The researchers speculated that these individuals might have a reduced tolerance for alcohol or could be taking medications that interact negatively with alcohol.
The study concluded that moderate drinking—defined as 20 to 40 grams of alcohol per day for men and 10 to 20 grams per day for women—was associated with an increased risk of death from all causes, including cancer. Heavier drinking, defined as over 40 grams per day for men and over 20 grams per day for women, was linked to even higher rates of death, not only from cancer but also from cardiovascular disease.
