The role of alcohol in health has been hotly debated for years. While the scientific community overwhelmingly agrees that having a lot of alcohol isn’t great for your health, things get a little muddled when it comes to drinking in moderation.
Now, a new government report released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, concludes that having a little alcohol may help you live longer. However, it also finds that alcohol could raise your risk of certain types of cancer. To make things even more complicated, the report clearly states that none of these conclusions were made with a high level of certainty, which basically means scientists just don’t know.
Why does this matter? The report was requested by Congress and is designed to help inform the next education of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide advice on what Americans should eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease. The next Dietary Guidelines will be released in 2025. Essentially, the report’s findings may influence recommendations about drinking in the future.
Currently, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that having less alcohol is better for your health than having more, and that people shouldn’t start drinking alcohol if they don’t already. The guidelines also suggest having no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one drink a day for women.
So, what did the report find, and what do doctors think of this? Here’s the deal.
What did the report find?
Again, the researchers made it clear that there was not a high level of certainty with any of these findings. But these are the general conclusions they drew around certain areas of health and drinking:
Drinking a little may help you to live longer
The researchers concluded with “moderate certainty” that drinking moderate levels of alcohol is linked with a lower risk of dying from any cause compared to people who have never had alcohol. (Moderate levels of alcohol are two drinks or less a day for men, and one drink or less a day for women.)
It’s not clear how moderate drinking impacts your weight
The report found that no conclusions can be made about the link between moderate alcohol consumption and weight. It found with low certainty (meaning, it’s just not clear) that changes in body mass index (BMI) and risk of obesity are similar in men who drink moderate amounts of alcohol. The evidence for women on alcohol’s potential impact on weight is “inconsistent.”
Alcohol could raise your risk of certain types of cancer
The report found with moderate certainty that having a moderate amount of alcohol is linked with a higher risk of breast cancer in women compared with people who never had alcohol. The report concluded with low certainty (again, it’s not clear) that moderate drinkers may have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those who drink less.
Drinking moderate amounts may be better for your heart — maybe
People who have moderate amounts of alcohol may have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke — but that’s a low-certainty conclusion. The report found that moderate alcohol may also lower the risk of dying from a cardiovascular issue in men and women, but that’s with moderate certainty.
It’s not clear how alcohol impacts your risk of dementia
The report couldn’t make a conclusion about the link between having moderate amounts of alcohol and developing Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or cognitive decline.
What do doctors think?
Doctors point out that this is a lot to unpack. “These findings from the National Academies’ report on moderate alcohol consumption and health impacts are like a cocktail of clarity and confusion,” says Tony Yang, DSc, MPH, associate dean for Health Policy and Population Science at George Washington University School of Nursing. “On one hand, there’s moderate certainty that moderate alcohol consumption may lower the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. On the other hand, for certain cancers, moderate drinking seems to raise the risk.”
He also stresses that none of the conclusions had a high level of certainty. “In research terms, that’s like saying, ‘We’re reasonably confident, but don’t bet your bar tab on it,’” Yang says.
Jack Jacoub, MD, a medical oncologist and medical director of MemorialCare Cancer Institute at Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers in Orange County, California, calls the findings “very interesting.”
“It’s something to consider and to talk with patients about. Maybe we should not be so dogmatic about stopping drinking for everyone,” Jacoub says. Still, both Yang and Jacoub say that the report makes it clear that more research is needed on alcohol and health.
What doctors recommend when it comes to alcohol
Yang points out that it’s hard to have a one-size-fits-all recommendation around alcohol. “If you have health conditions, a family history of cancer, or other risk factors, you’ll want to have a more personalized discussion about your drinking habits,” he says.
Jacoub agrees that it can be difficult to make blanket recommendations around alcohol. “If you have a history of liver disease, for example, that supersedes this,” he says. “Also, if you’ve never had a drink before, I probably wouldn’t pick it up based on this alone.”
Yang also stresses that moderate drinking isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be healthy. “It’s more like a calculated gamble, and everyone’s odds are different,” he says.
Overall, Yang says you don’t need to feel bad about having the occasional drink. “But drinking ‘for health’ isn’t a solid plan,” he says.
