New Report: No Alcohol is Best

Paula Gallagher on
Drinking alcohol can add to health risks.

Is a glass of wine really that good for you? A new report out of Canada suggests that it’s not. This may not be the greatest news for many, but this isn’t the first time that research has shown that no alcohol is truly the best thing for your health.

According to the findings, any level of alcohol consumption had a net negative impact on health for almost every disease reviewed, including heart disease, several types of cancer and liver cirrhosis. The health risks become "increasingly high" when someone has six or more drinks per week. And for women who have three or more drinks per week, the risk of health issues increases more steeply compared to men, research shows.

Many do not know that alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogenic and has been for decades by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This means that it is carcinogenic to humans. This report suggests that alcohol should have cancer warning labels because not everyone is aware that alcohol use has been associated with numerous health risks, including at least seven types of cancer.

Here are some of the findings:

  • Men who consume about five grams (less than ½ glass of wine) of alcohol per day on average have almost a 16% increased risk of liver cirrhosis. That risk balloons to more than 306% if the man has 50 grams (about 3 to 4 glasses of wine) of alcohol per day, according to the report.
  • The risk of breast cancer increased 10% with 3 or more drinks per week, but the risk starts at one or two standard drinks per week.

Alcohol is also estimated to be the third largest contributor to overall cancer deaths in both men and women and is estimated to account for 39,060 breast cancers (in the U.S.) per year in women.

Unfortunately, increased alcohol consumption has increased during Covid, when many people used it as a coping mechanism. The report suggests that people need to know more about the alcohol they purchase and how it can affect their health.

When it comes to alcohol, less is better.

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