Cheers to Your Health?

Is alcohol in moderation still part of a healthy lifestyle? We look at the latest news-and what it might mean for your next Wine Wednesday.

- MELANIE MANNARINO

For some time now, we've thought enjoying wine with a delicious meal or sharing a cold beer with good friends came with a research-backed benefit-a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. So when global health researchers recently declared that alcohol consumed in any quantity, even in moderation, can have a negative impact on health, it was like a record skipped at the world's collective cocktail party.

Why the reversal? Were earlier researchers wrong? The science hasn't changed; it's that scientists and medical experts are reframing their messaging to address the bigger picture: Alcohol may offer some health benefits, but the downsides outweigh them. As researchers have conducted new studies with larger populations and datasets, they've taken a closer look at alcohol consumption and its health implications, explains Neil Iyengar, MD, a breast oncologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a metabolic health and wellness researcher. "These studies have shown that any amount of alcohol increases the risk of developing several cancers. The risk of developing cancer from alcohol consumption far outweighs any potential cardiovascular benefit."

Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, a nutritional epidemiologist and chair elect for the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee, agrees. "While the American Cancer Society has long talked about alcohol as a carcinogen, the AHA had included it as a benefit of a heart-healthy diet in regard to raising HDL cholesterol [the good type] levels, and being cardio-protective in some cases," she says. "But you don't create your dietary pattern for just one disease-and if you look across all diseases, alcohol has a negative impact."