Drinking Alcohol Can Raise Your Risk of These 20 Health Conditions

• A recent study found an association between alcohol consumption and 20 different health outcomes. 
• The findings show that any amount of alcohol may increase the risk for various cancers. 
• The researchers noted that the effects of alcohol can vary based on factors like sex, age, drinking patterns, and other behavioral risk factors. 
• The study found that there is no evidence to support sex-specific thresholds on alcohol guidelines. 

It’s well-established that consuming alcohol can have negative effects on overall health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that moderate drinking may have health risks, while the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that no amount of alcohol is safe. 

A new study found that any alcohol consumption can raise the risk for major cancers, including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

The findings, published on June 1 in Nature Health, show associations between alcohol use and several additional health outcomes, including other forms of cancer. 

The researchers noted that while there are limitations to the study, the results present a clearer picture of the risks associated with alcohol consumption to help inform personalized decisions about alcohol use.

“This is not surprising and illustrates the many mechanisms through which alcohol, especially when consumed in large amounts, is toxic to our bodies,” said Ketan Thanki, MD, board certified colorectal surgeon with the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. Thanki wasn’t involved in the study. 

Low-to-moderate alcohol use linked to health risks

Even moderate alcohol consumption may increase the risk for certain health conditions, especially cancers. 

The study analyzed 843 cohort and case-control studies published through 2023 using the Burden of Proof meta-analytic framework. 

The researchers aimed to systematically re-evaluate the relationship between alcohol consumption and 20 health outcomes. These included 10 types of cancer:  

• breast 
• colorectal 
• esophageal 
• laryngeal 
• liver
• lip and oral 
• pharyngeal 
• pancreatic 
• prostate 
• stomach

It also included four cardiovascular diseases: 

• atrial fibrillation and flutter 
• ischemic stroke 
• hemorrhagic stroke 
• ischemic heart disease

The study included six other conditions as well: 

• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias 
• cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases 
• lower respiratory infections 
• pancreatitis 
• tuberculosis 
• type 2 diabetes

Alcohol use raises risk of multiple health conditions by up to 50%

Alcohol raised the risk of five health outcomes by 15–50%, including:

• lip and oral cavity cancer
• laryngeal cancer
• cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases
• pancreatitis
• colon and rectal cancer

The strongest association was between alcohol consumption and pharyngeal cancer, with a 105% increased risk.

Any amount of alcohol consumption appeared to increase the risk for pharyngeal cancer more than the other health conditions that were considered. 

Nine outcomes met the criteria for an increased risk of developing a health condition by 0–15% or, in some cases, a decrease in risk by 0–13%. These included:

• esophageal cancer
• breast cancer
• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
• atrial fibrillation and flutter
• type 2 diabetes
• liver cancer
• pancreatic cancer
• lower respiratory infections
• prostate cancer

There were five health outcomes that showed weak or inconsistent evidence: stomach cancer, hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, tuberculosis, and ischemic heart disease. 

Effects of alcohol use on type 2 diabetes

The researchers found some evidence that the risk of type 2 diabetes actually decreased with low consumption of alcohol and increased with higher consumption.

However, this is not to say that you should start drinking alcohol if you currently don’t. 

“While I readily recognize the role that alcohol consumption plays in the human experience, when anyone asks me about safe alcohol consumption, I always begin by saying that abstinence is the safest and truest bet,” Matt Glowiak, PhD, licensed counselor and chief addiction specialist with Recovered, told Healthline. Glowiak was not involved in the study. 

“If one is going to drink, it is within their legal right if of age. However, they must make themselves fully aware of the health implications, which extend greatly beyond any warning label posted directly on beverage labels,” he said. 

Reducing alcohol intake may improve health

While current CDC guidelines define moderate drinking as 2 drinks per day for males and 1 drink per day for females, the WHO states that no safe amount of alcohol is safe for health.

However, the conflicting public health messaging around alcohol consumption may sow confusion around how much is considered safe, which is why many experts say that abstinence is best.

If you do wish to enjoy alcohol in moderation, Glowiak offered some parameters. “There are other proposed recommendations that speak to a 2-2-2 rule or 3-2-1 rule,” he told Healthline.

“For example, the 2-2-2 rule indicates no more than 2 drinks per occasion, no more than 2 days in a row, with no more than 2 days per week of consumption. Essentially, the 2-2-2 rule equates to no more than 4 drinks per week, which is actually a more conservative recommendation than the CDC,” Glowiak said. 

The current study showed that even moderate alcohol consumption may increase the risk for nine cancers. This reinforces the well-established carcinogenic effects of alcohol. 

However, the researchers also noted that current evidence does not support sex-specific thresholds for defining moderate drinking. 

Thanki agreed and stated, “While the current literature does suggest that moderate drinking is better for you than heavy drinking, it is hard to make sex-based claims as to what constitutes moderate in each sex based on the current data.”

While it showed some evidence that low alcohol consumption may decrease the risk of certain conditions, like type 2 diabetes, these outcomes are largely observational and may be subject to bias. 

“Heavy consumption, whether regular or episodic, is going to increase your risk of developing a multitude of disease processes,” said Thanki.  

“In an ideal world, we probably should be avoiding alcohol consumption altogether, especially when we are young and unlikely to reap the benefits the elderly see from low-moderate alcohol consumption. In the setting of our cultural expectations, though, that is unlikely to happen, so keep your consumption low to moderate and avoid high alcohol content (ABV) drinks to minimize direct injury to the GI tract,” he told Healthline.