According to a recent study, consuming a little alcohol each day won’t increase lifespan.

According to a recent study, moderate alcohol consumption may not have the health benefits that some people believe it does. The study involved a meta-analysis of 107 previous studies on alcohol consumption, which included more than 4.8 million participants. The researchers were trying to establish a link between daily alcohol intake and death from any cause. Their findings revealed that drinking less than 25 grams per day (about .9 ounces) did not significantly decrease the risk of death compared to non-drinkers. However, women who drank .9 ounces daily or more and men who drank 45 grams (about 1.6 ounces) per day had a “significantly increased risk” of death.

The study’s results are different from those of previous studies, which suggested that moderate drinking could have health benefits. The researchers found that many of the studies underlying this belief were flawed due to systematic biases. For example, many previous studies included “sick quitters” – people who had stopped or reduced their drinking for health reasons. Additionally, previous studies overrepresented older white men, while light and moderate drinkers were usually healthier than current non-drinkers due to factors unrelated to alcohol use.

The researchers used statistical software to adjust for these biases, which allowed them to draw more accurate conclusions. The study, titled “Association Between Daily Alcohol Intake and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses,” was published on March 31, 2023, in JAMA Network Open.