Alcohol consumption has been the subject of many studies over the decades, many of which contradict each other.

Meanwhile, certain alcoholic beverages, such as wine in France or beer in Ireland, are considered to be veritable institutions, to the point that the slightest medicinal virtue related to these drinks is quickly celebrated.

Relatedly, a team of researchers from Canada’s University of Victoria has looked closely at the subject in a meta-analysis that examined 107 studies published between January 1980 and July 2021 on alcohol consumption and mortality risk, involving some 4.8 million participants.

Published in the journal “Jama Network Open”, their research reveals that alcohol consumption, even in small or moderate quantities, is not associated with a lower risk of mortality or the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The researchers explain that people who consume less than 25g of ethanol per day – equivalent to about two glasses of wine or beer – are no more likely to live longer than those who never drink alcohol.

And wine does not protect the heart, as previous research has claimed, the scientists say.

Study co-author Tim Stockwell, professor of psychology at the University of Victoria, said the idea that alcohol is good for your health “is so ingrained in many cultures”, but previous research linking moderate consumption and health benefits in older adults might have neglected several external factors.

“People who are still healthy in their 70s and 80s can continue to drink. Those who become frail, are on medication, or socialise less tend to stop or cut down on their drinking,” he pointed out.

In other words, people who drink alcohol at a certain age may indeed turn out to be healthier than those who don’t drink at all, but only because their health allows them this lifestyle – not the other way around.

Alcohol-related risk

More soberingly, the researchers also observed a higher risk of mortality in people who drank at least three glasses of alcohol a day, compared with those who drank little or nothing.

Finally, the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly higher in women who drank 25g of ethanol per day, compared with an equivalent consumption in men.

In January, the World Health Organization stated that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health”.

It also reported that “the latest available data indicates that half of all alcohol-attributable cancers in the WHO European region are caused by ‘light’ and ‘moderate’ alcohol consumption – less than 1.5 litres of wine or less than 3.5 litres of beer, or less than 450ml of spirits per week”.

The organisation goes on to state that this so-called “moderate consumption” is at the origin of the majority of alcohol-attributable breast cancers in women – a finding now supported by this new study involving nearly five million people.