They Probed 'Low-Risk' Drinking, Found Quite the Cancer Risk

Older adults would do well to limit alcohol intake, even if they consume only a little, according to new research, which further disputes the idea that a small amount of alcohol is good for you. Indeed, alcohol probably raises the risk of cancer "from the first drop," Dr. Rosario Ortolá of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, lead author of the study published Monday in JAMA Network Open, tells the New York Times. Researchers tracked 135,103 British adults aged 60 and older over 12 years, in which time 15,833 died. Participants were sorted into four categories based on the average amount of alcohol consumed per day.

Occasional drinkers consumed less than 3 grams of alcohol, low-risk drinkers included men who consumed up to 20 grams and women who consumed up to 10 grams, moderate-risk drinkers included men who consumed up to 40 grams and women who consumed up to 20 grams, and high-risk drinkers were those who consumed more than those amounts. Compared with occasional drinkers, high-risk drinkers had a 33% greater risk of dying from any cause, while moderate-risk drinkers had a 10% greater risk of death from any cause and a 15% greater risk of death from cancer, per the Guardian. But even low-risk drinkers saw a 11% greater risk of death from cancer compared with occasional drinkers. And they saw no benefit as it relates to heart disease deaths.

As a result, "we think that medical advice should not recommend consuming alcohol to improve health," Ortolá tells the Guardian. She notes the higher risk of death was especially pronounced among moderate-risk and low-risk drinkers who had existing health problems or lived in low-income areas. Ortolá suggests that might be due to greater morbidity, higher use of alcohol-interacting drugs, reduced tolerance to alcohol, lower social support, and other lifestyle factors. However, "drinking mostly wine and drinking only with meals moderated the risk, particularly of death from cancer," possibly as a result of slower alcohol absorption, the Times reports. (More alcohol is bad for you stories.)