Low-to-Moderate Wine Consumption Might Be Beneficial

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24 July 2026

Nutrition Journal reports findings from a study of 340,924 UK Biobank participants, who were followed for an average of 13.4 years to assess links between mortality and the consumption of wine, beer, cider and spirits. Compared with people who never drank or drank only occasionally, those with high overall alcohol consumption had a 24 per cent greater risk of death from any cause, a 36 per cent greater risk of cancer death and a 14 per cent greater risk of cardiovascular death.

In the statistical analysis, low-to-moderate wine consumption was associated with lower mortality, whereas similar levels of beer, cider or spirits consumption were associated with higher mortality. However, as this was an observational study, it cannot establish that wine itself caused the apparent difference. Wine drinkers may differ from other groups in factors such as lifestyle, diet and socioeconomic circumstances.

Crucially, high wine consumption was linked to increased mortality from several cancers. The findings should therefore not necessarily be interpreted as evidence that people should start drinking wine for health benefits.

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