You have probably heard for years that a small glass of red wine is good for your heart. It turns out that belief was built on shaky science. The World Health Organization has stated that the only safe amount of alcohol is zero.
A lot of that “moderate drinking is fine” thinking came from studies that compared non-drinkers to light drinkers. The problem? Many of those non-drinkers were former heavy drinkers who had quit because alcohol had already damaged their health. So researchers were essentially comparing sick ex-drinkers to healthier people who could still drink, and drawing the wrong conclusion.
Once scientists removed those confounding factors, the picture changed. But a newer question remained: are beer, wine, and spirits equally harmful, or does the type of drink matter?
What a Large Study Found
Researcher Dr. Zhangling Chen and colleagues looked at data from 340,924 participants in the UK Biobank. The average age was 56. Researchers followed them for an average of 13.4 years, tracking alcohol consumption and causes of death.
The big-picture finding was not surprising. High alcohol consumption was linked to higher rates of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other conditions. Even moderate consumption was associated with higher cancer mortality.
But the type of drink made a difference too. Here is what the study found, broken down by beverage:
- Beer and cider: High intake was linked to increased death from all causes. Even low intake was associated with higher cancer mortality.
- Wine: Lower intake appeared linked to lower overall mortality compared to non-drinkers, but the researchers note this is likely the same statistical error described above. High wine intake was linked to higher cancer mortality. Higher intake of red wine was especially tied to higher all-cause and cancer mortality. White wine and fortified wine showed similar patterns at higher intake levels.
- Spirits: Even low intake was associated with greater all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
The Bottom Line
No type of alcohol gets a clean bill of health here. Spirits showed risk even at low amounts. Beer showed cancer risk even at low amounts. Wine looked better in the data, but the researchers point out that the same flaw that drove earlier pro-drinking research likely explains those results too.
If you have been thinking about cutting back or stopping altogether, the research suggests it is never too late to benefit. Your body begins recovering from alcohol in measurable ways once you stop.
That is information worth having, whatever you decide to do with it.
