Researchers Say Even Light Drinking Could Raise Cancer Risk

Although most Americans aren’t aware, there’s a growing body of research tying alcohol consumption to increased cancer risk. Now, a robust new study suggests that it doesn’t take much alcohol at all to raise the risk of diagnosis.

The study, which was published in the journal Nature Health, analyzed results from 843 studies on the impact of alcohol consumption, evaluating associations with 10 types of cancer, four cardiovascular diseases, and six other serious health conditions, like cirrhosis.

The researchers discovered that even low levels of alcohol—far below the recommended limit of one drink per day for women and two drinks a day for men—raised the risk of all 10 forms of cancer.

Experts say the results aren’t shocking. Here’s why.

Meet the experts: Kathleen Egan, Sc.D., M.P.H., cancer epidemiologist at Moffitt Cancer Center; Natacha DeGenna, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.

How much alcohol raises your cancer risk?

It’s hardly surprising that drinking high levels of alcohol raises the risk of cancer. “Alcohol is an established carcinogen,” says Kathleen Egan, Sc.D., M.P.H., cancer epidemiologist at Moffitt Cancer Center. But this study found that even lower levels of alcohol consumption can move the needle.

Having just 0.35 ounces of alcohol per day was linked to a higher risk of cancers of the pharynx, colon, rectum, esophagus, breast, liver, pancreas, and prostate. “If you do the math, the results of this study suggest that it’s not safe to drink even one standard drink every day,” says Natacha DeGenna, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.

In particular, the risk of pharyngeal cancer skyrocketed by 105% in people who drank alcohol within the recommended amounts (again, one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men).

While the exact risk level depended a lot on how much people drank, the data suggest that even one drink caused a noticeable increase. Here’s a breakdown of how much risk increases after having one alcoholic drink per day:

• Breast cancer, 13%
• Colorectal cancer, 17%
• Esophageal cancer, 32%
• Liver cancer, 2%
• Pancreatic cancer, 5%
• Prostate cancer, 4%
• Stomach cancer, 3%

This adds to research linking alcohol with cancer

There’s a growing body of data tying low levels of alcohol use to cancer. The Alcohol Intake & Health Study, which was funded by the federal government, found that alcohol use is associated with a higher risk of dying from colorectal, breast, liver, oral, pharynx, larynx, and esophageal cancers. Notably, the authors specified that “increased risk for these cancers begins with any alcohol use and increases with higher levels of use.”

A study published in The Lancet Oncology in 2021 by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) discovered that nearly 750,000 cancer cases diagnosed around the world in 2020 were linked to alcohol, and more than 100,000 of those were associated with light and moderate drinking.

Why might alcohol raise your risk of cancer?

“[Alcohol] is socially acceptable and integrated into many of our social rituals, but it’s actually a toxin,” DeGenna says.

The ethanol in alcoholic drinks and acetaldehyde (the compound produced when you drink alcohol) are classified as carcinogens. “Acetaldehyde—even at low concentrations—reacts with DNA, resulting in DNA damage,” DeGenna says. As a result, it can lead to mutations that can turn into cancer.

Alcohol can also raise levels of inflammation in your body, change how your body absorbs or removes harmful chemicals, raise levels of estrogen or other hormones that may fuel tumor growth, and increase body weight, all of which can raise the risk of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

What’s the takeaway?

“Even low levels of [alcohol] consumption will increase the risk above background for the cancers it’s linked to,” Egan says. “But it’s important to point out that the excess risk with very light drinking—say a drink or less per week—is quite negligible.” Meaning, you’re probably fine if you have a drink here and there, but you may want to consider scaling back if you drink regularly. (Americans as a whole are drinking less alcohol than in the past: A Gallup poll published in 2025 found that 54% of American adults drink alcohol, which is a historic low.)

Currently, the ACS says that it’s best not to drink alcohol. However, if you choose to drink, the ACS suggests having no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. “It really is healthiest to abstain,” DeGenna says.

Egan agrees. “For persons interested in a healthy lifestyle, I think alcohol should generally be avoided,” she says. “There are many downsides with regular drinking, not just limited to cancer.” While she adds that the occasional drink is “probably harmless,” avoiding alcohol, along with exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and refraining from smoking, reduces your risk of chronic disease and increases your health span.