- For a long time, drinking in moderation was considered socially acceptable, and maybe even healthy. You supposedly protected your heart with red wine, and even reduced diabetes.
- But what's the current truth about moderate drinking?
- The idea that moderate, occasional drinking is good for your health is outdated.
- Decades ago, large surveys of adults began showing an association between how much alcohol someone drank and their risk of death. People who said they drank heavily had an increased risk, but those who drank nothing at all also had an increased risk compared with those who drank one or two servings of alcohol per day.
- These findings were well promoted by the alcohol industry.
- Turns out that even at low levels, alcohol can have significant negative effects on your body.
Recent research.
- A 2025 report from the American Association for Cancer concluded that more than 5% of all cancers in the U.S. are attributable to alcohol use.
- A 2025 Surgeon General's Advisory reported that a study of 100 women showed:
- Of those who had less than one drink/week, 17% will develop cancer.
- Two drinks/week = 19%.
- Three drinks/week = 22%.
- What happens is that ethanol, metabolizes into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and other cellular components.
- Especially affected are your mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, liver and brain.
- There are also signs affecting mental health and psychiatric conditions.
- Even low-level drinking can worsen anxiety and depression.
- There are signs that alcohol interferes with your immune system and accelerates aging.
What is moderate drinking?
- One alcoholic drink/day for women and up to two from men.
- 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits.
- Turns out that East Asians are especially in danger. And that's me.
- A mutated ALDH2 gene is the problem. The expert is Che-Hong Chen of Stanford University, from Taiwan.
- 8% of the world's population have it.
- However, in Taiwan it is 50%, Japan 40%, China 35% and Korea 30%.
- One sign is turning red after drinking: "Soak the pad of a bandage in strong liquor and put it on your hand for 10 minutes," Chen said. If a red patch appears, you're a carrier; if not, you're most likely in the clear. Chen also notes that, compared to a real genetic test, the DIY version is only about 80% accurate.
- Read this article.
- ALDH2, codes for a protein known as aldehyde dehydrogenase, the main metabolizer of alcohol.
- Simply put, drink alcohol, and when you sleep, the produced acetaldehyde eats away at DNA and other molecules in the body.
- On the other hand, ALDH2 also turns acetaldehyde into a type of vinegar, which is excreted through urine.
- Men should consume no more than two drinks per day, one for women. In other words, this has not been changed. Perhaps the latest guideline was completed after the recent research results. Don't know.
- This new guideline emphasizes that people who don't currently drink, shouldn't start. This is new.
- A Gallup poll released this month indicates that the percentage of adults in the U.S. who report drinking is at a record low.
- Since 1940, the % of drinking adults have wavered from as high as 72% (in the late 70s), but is today at 54%.
- Republicans in particular lowered drinking from 2023 to 2025 by 19 percent. Democrats? -3%.
- Congress will probably soon add warning labels on alcohol products, similar to those for nicotine.
Internationally:
- The World Health Organization is saying that no amount of alcohol is truly safe.
- Canada is more cautious, advising no more than two drinks per WEEK for all adults.
Read this Time magazine article on Why, Exactly, Is Alcohol So Bad for You. Says Che-Hong Chen:
We need to treat alcohol more like tobacco. This is causing cancer, even more so for East Asian people who are more vulnerable."
Will report on tobacco someday, but as of 2022, there are still 1.25 tobacco users worldwide (about 22%), a drop from about 33% in 2000. Read this. So many are dying, but people are still smoking.
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