High Alcohol Consumption Increases Risk of All-Cause Mortality

A new meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open shows that mild to moderate drinking is as not protective as we once thought. This review paper examined a collection of studies that included 4.8 million people. The authors found that when biases in reporting and other factors were controlled for (such as previous drinkers who are now abstinent), the protective effects of even low and moderate alcohol consumption evaporated. Drinking beyond moderation was found to increase the risk of mortality.¹ Additional research has found that just one drink a day was associated with reduced grey matter in the brain, suggesting that there is no safe amount of alcohol that can be recommended.²