In both men and women, drinking just one alcoholic beverage per day increases the risk of liver cirrhosis, esophageal cancer, oral cancer and various types of injuries, according to a federal analysis of the health effects of alcohol published Tuesday.
Women have a higher risk of developing liver cancer at this level of alcohol consumption, but a lower risk of diabetes. And while daily drinking also reduces the risk of strokes caused by blood clots in both men and women, the report found that even occasional heavy drinking negates the benefits.
The report, prepared by an external scientific review panel under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services, is one of two competing assessments that will be used to shape the influential U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are to be updated This year.
The government has for several decades recommended a limit of two standard alcoholic drinks per day for men and one for women.
In December, a review of data by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine supported this view, finding that moderate alcohol consumption was linked to fewer deaths from heart attacks and strokesand fewer deaths overall, compared to no alcohol.
But some experts worry that the harms of moderate alcohol consumption have been underestimated, particularly the risk of cancer, which is the leading cause of death among people under 85, according to the American Cancer Society.
In 2020, the last time the dietary guidelines were revised, scientific advisers suggested reducing the recommendation to one drink per day for men and women. This advice was not included in the final guidelines.
The National Academies analysis linked moderate alcohol consumption in women to a small but significant increase in breast cancer, but said there was not enough evidence to link alcohol to other cancers.
This month, however, the U.S. Surgeon General, citing growing scientific evidence, called for alcohol labels to carry cancer warnings similar to those that appear on cigarettes. The report released Tuesday found that increased cancer risk comes with any alcohol consumption and increases with higher levels of consumption.
Alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of death for seven types of cancer, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and throat. the esophagus.
Men and women are both vulnerable to these health problems, but women are much more likely to develop alcohol-related cancer, the report said.
“Among the U.S. population, the risk of dying from alcohol consumption begins at low levels of average consumption,” the report said. “Higher levels of alcohol consumption are linked to increasingly higher mortality risk. »
Those who drink more than seven drinks a week have a one in 1,000 risk of dying from alcohol-related illness. The risk increases to one in 100 if consumption is more than nine drinks per week.
This article will be updated.