Study Links Low Wine Intake to Lower Mortality Risk

A new study of more than 340,000 British adults has found that the health risks of alcohol consumption depend not only on the amount consumed but also on the type of beverage, with low to moderate intake of wine linked to lower mortality rates compared to similar levels of beer, cider or spirits.

Researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a large health database tracking participants from 2006 to 2022 over an average of more than 13 years. The study, led by Professor Zhangling Chen of the Second Xiangya Hospital at Central South University in China, categorized participants based on their self-reported alcohol intake in grams of pure alcohol per day and week. A standard drink, such as a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot of spirits, contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol.

Never or occasional drinkers consumed less than 20 grams per week, roughly 1.5 standard drinks. Low consumption included men drinking 20 grams per week to 20 grams per day and women 20 grams per week to 10 grams per day. Moderate levels ranged from 20 to 40 grams per day for men and 10 to 20 grams per day for women. High consumption exceeded 40 grams per day for men and 20 grams per...