Researchers from the United States and Canada found that even moderate alcohol consumption carries serious health risks, according to a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
The team reviewed more than 7,200 scientific articles examining diseases and injuries linked to alcohol. They combined this evidence with national health datasets and used statistical models to estimate how different drinking levels affect the risk of premature death, disability, cancer, heart disease, liver disease, and injuries over a lifetime.
Consuming two alcoholic drinks per day, a level often considered socially moderate, was associated with substantially higher risk of premature death from alcohol. The researchers found no statistically significant protective health effect at any level of alcohol consumption.
"No protective effect of drinking was observed even at low levels," said Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and study co-author.
Lead author Kevin Shield, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Addiction and Mental Health, stated that "even low levels of alcohol use come with health risks" and "that risk continues to increase the more someone drinks."
The researchers acknowledged that relatively low alcohol intake may be associated with reduced risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke. However, when they combined these potential cardiovascular benefits with alcohol's harmful effects on cancer, liver disease, and injuries, the benefits were outweighed by harm, even among people consuming seven drinks per week.
The study found that alcohol consumption above one drink per day was associated with increased health risks for both men and women. The researchers noted that their estimates describe risks across populations, not precise likelihoods for individuals, which vary based on genetics, lifestyle, and other factors.
In an accompanying editorial, Robert M. Vincent, former associate administrator for the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, stated that the study was "explicitly invited to inform alcohol guidance during development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030" but its findings were "sidelined."