Is it time to rethink drinking?
Drinking in moderation was once thought to have heart benefits, but better research methods have shed cold water on the matter.
“drink less “It's a great way to be healthier,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
ARE CONSUMPTION PATTERNS CHANGING?
Guidelines vary widely from country to country, but the general trend is toward drinking less.
The United Kingdom, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia recently reviewed new evidence and reduced their alcohol consumption recommendations. Ireland will require cancer warning labels on alcohol from 2026.
“The scientific consensus has changed due to overwhelming evidence linking alcohol to more than 200 healthy conditionsincluding cancers, cardiovascular diseases and injuries,” said Carina Ferreira-Borges, regional alcohol advisor at the World Health Organization regional office for Europe.
From so-called Dry January to Sober October and bartenders getting creative with mocktails, there's a cultural climate that supports cutting back.
People my age are a lot more accepting,” said Tessa Weber, 28, of Austin, Texas. She stopped drinking during Dry January 2024 because she noticed that alcohol increased her anxiety. She liked the results (better sleep, more energy) and she stuck with it.
“It's good to reevaluate your relationship with alcohol,” Weber said.
WAIT, MODERATE DRINKING HAS NO HEALTH BENEFITS?
That idea came from imperfect studies that compared groups of people based on how much they drank. Consumption was usually measured at a certain point in time. And none of the studies randomly assigned people to drink or not drink, so they couldn't prove cause and effect.
People who report drinking moderately tend to have higher levels of education, higher incomes and better access to health care, Naimi said.
“It turns out that when you adapt to those things, the benefits tend to disappear”said.
Another problem: Most studies didn't include younger people. Nearly half of people who die from alcohol-related causes die before age 50.
“If you study people who survived into middle age, didn't stop drinking because of a problem, and didn't become heavy drinkers, that's a very select group,” Naimi said.
“It creates an appearance of benefit for moderate drinkers that is actually a statistical illusion.”
Other studies question the idea that alcohol has benefits.
These studies compare people with a genetic variant that makes drinking unpleasant with people without the genetic variant.
People with the variant tend to drink very little or nothing absolutely. One of these studies found that people with the genetic variant have a lower risk of heart disease, another blow to the idea that alcohol protects people from heart problems.
HOW MANY DRINKS CAN I HAVE A DAY?
It depends.
Drinking increases the risk of several types of cancer, including colon, liver, breast, and mouth and throat. Alcohol breaks down in the body into a substance called acetaldehyde, which can damage cells and prevent them from repairing themselves. That creates the conditions for cancer to grow.
Thousands of deaths a year in the United States could be prevented if people followed the government's dietary guidelines, which advise men to limit themselves to two drinks or less per day and women to one drink or less per day, Naimi said.
One drink is approximately equivalent to one beer can 12-ounce glass, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a shot of liquor.
Naimi was part of an advisory committee that wanted to reduce the recommendation for men to one drink per day. That advice was considered and rejected when the federal recommendations came out in 2020.
The simple message best supported by the evidence is that if you drink, less is better when it comes to health,” Naimi said.
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