The long-held belief that moderate alcohol consumption is good for heart health is being called into question by new research, as researchers find that even small amounts of alcohol are associated with an increased risk of cancer death in older adults.
According to a New York Times report, a 12-year study of more than 135,000 people over the age of 60 found that drinking small amounts of alcohol doesn’t protect against death from heart disease. In fact, increased alcohol intake increases the risk of dying from cancer, and even small amounts can be harmful.
“We found no evidence of a beneficial association between low alcohol consumption and mortality,” said Dr. Rosario Ortola, assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at the Autonomous University of Madrid and lead author of the study, adding that “alcohol probably increases the risk of cancer from the first drop.”
This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that is changing the paradigm in alcohol research. It uses new methodology to address perceived flaws in previous studies that suggested benefits of drinking. The study compares moderate and occasional drinkers with abstainers, but abstainers may include people who stopped drinking because of illness, potentially skewing previous results.
The study comes as the U.S. guidelines for alcohol consumption are being revised. Two scientific groups are preparing the report for the updated U.S. Dietary Guidelines: One group is an intergovernmental subcommittee of representatives from health agencies, and the other is a congressionally funded group convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Dr. Kenneth Mukamal of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, was initially appointed to one of the committees. His $100 million moderate drinking trial was halted in 2018 after it was revealed he had sought funding from the alcohol industry. NASEM withdrew his nomination and replaced him with another Harvard scientist with industry ties.
Current U.S. dietary guidelines advise that “it is better for your health to drink less than more,” recommending one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rising alcohol consumption in the U.S. has led to a roughly 30% increase in deaths from excessive drinking between 2016-2017 and 2020-2021.
Internationally, recommendations are becoming more conservative. The Canadian Centre on Drug Use and Addiction now notes that any amount of alcohol is not healthy and even small amounts can be harmful. The World Health Organization (WHO) also warns that, while most harm comes from heavy drinking, even small amounts of alcohol can pose health risks.
“The study found that older adults who consumed less alcohol and had health or socioeconomic risk factors had a higher risk of death. However, drinking mostly wine and consuming alcohol only with meals mitigated the risk of dying from cancer. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but may be related to slower alcohol absorption and other healthy lifestyle choices.”
Overall, moderate alcohol consumption (defined as 20-40 grams per day for men and 10-20 grams per day for women) was associated with an increased risk of death from any cause and cancer. Heavier alcohol consumption was associated with increased mortality from any cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
– Inputs from The New York Times
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