Risks of moderate alcohol use

The bottom line is that alcohol is potentially addictive, can cause intoxication, and contributes to health problems and preventable deaths. If you already drink at low levels and continue to drink, risks for these issues appear to be low. But the risk is not zero.

For example, any amount of drinking increases the risk of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. As consumption goes up, the risk goes up for these cancers. It is a tiny, but real, increased risk.

Drinking also adds calories that can contribute to weight gain. And drinking raises the risk of problems in the digestive system.

In the past, moderate drinking was thought to be linked with a lower risk of dying from heart disease and possibly diabetes. After more analysis of the research, that doesn't seem to be the case. In general, a healthy diet and physical activity have much greater health benefits than alcohol and have been more extensively studied.