The American Heart Association (AHA) recently suggested that light drinking may be a positive for heart health. The health benefits of even moderate alcohol use seem very small while the risks are real.
In July, the Association, which is a leader in the heart health field, published a review suggesting that not only is light drinking safe but that it may have benefits in fending off cardiovascular disease and stroke. This is coming on the heels of a preliminary report released last January, which many have called “excellent” science, that found an association between even moderate drinking and 7 different types of cancer.
The recent AHA report was met with a lot of concern from people in the field of heart health and related sciences. Critics say there was bias and mishandling in the selection of studies for this report and that at least one author had ties to the alcohol industry.
The report is at odds with guidance provided by the CDC [archived link], which suggests that even moderate alcohol consumption can increase your risk of death. Strangely enough, the report is also at odds with the AHA’s own previous guidance[archived link], which suggests limited or preferably no alcohol consumption, noting that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
It is difficult to know exactly what is going on here, but it’s also worth noting that the Department of Health and Human Services has decided not to publish the final version of a preliminary report that came out in January of 2025, suggesting a strong link between alcohol consumption and 7 types of cancer. The authors have shared that the final version is very similar to the draft report, but the draft report is not considered “official” and is difficult to access. Suffice it to say that the evidence of harm of drinking even smaller amounts of alcohol is pretty strong. So strong that former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about the health risks of alcohol, with a particular focus on cancer, before leaving office in January of 2025. Combine that with the fact that, as some have said, there are other ways to reduce heart disease risk, and this Nerdy Girl finds the new AHA review concerning. For a more complete understanding of the health risks of alcohol use, read this excellent post from Those Nerdy Girls writers Ilana Gerjuoy and Chana Davis.
