Light and Moderate Drinking Shows No Clear Association with Cancer Mortality

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10 June 2026

New research examines whether different levels of alcohol consumption are associated with long-term cancer mortality in the REGARDS cohort, a large US study of adults aged 45 and over. For once, the study appears to be independent, with no apparent connection to either prohibitionist or alcohol industry groups.

After excluding people with prior cancer and missing alcohol data, the analysis included 26,694 participants followed for a median of 13.3 years, during which 2,306 cancer deaths occurred.

Participants were grouped as non-drinkers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers or heavy drinkers. Heavy drinkers had the highest cancer mortality rate, while light drinkers had the lowest. After adjusting for demographics, socio-economic factors, medical conditions, functional status, obesity, physical inactivity and smoking, heavy drinking remained associated with a 21% higher hazard of cancer death compared with abstaining. Moderate drinking showed no clear association with cancer mortality, while light drinking appeared associated with a lower risk, though the authors caution that this may reflect residual confounding rather than a true protective effect.

The study did not find that the alcohol–cancer mortality relationship differed significantly between men and women. Smoking partly explained the elevated risk seen in heavy drinkers, but did not remove it entirely, suggesting heavy alcohol use may have an independent association with cancer mortality.

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