Review Links Alcohol to More Than 60 Diseases, Finding Harms Outweigh Any Benefits
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · May 25
Review Links Alcohol to More Than 60 Diseases, Finding Harms Outweigh Any Benefits
6 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · May 25
A new review in Addiction found alcohol contributes to more than 60 diseases and injuries fully attributable to drinking, with damage spanning the brain, heart, liver, pancreas and immune system.
Decades of evidence also tied alcohol use to higher risks of cancers, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, type 2 diabetes, dementia, epilepsy and infections including tuberculosis, pneumonia and HIV/AIDS.
Even small amounts can raise injury risk by impairing coordination, judgment and reaction time, increasing traffic crashes, falls, violence and harm to other people as well as the drinker.
Some effects improve after abstinence—cardiovascular changes may ease within days to weeks and immune function can recover—but cirrhosis, heart disease and some brain damage from long-term heavy use may persist for years or never fully reverse.
The authors said evidence remains insufficient to rule out a possible benefit for ischemic heart disease or stroke, but concluded alcohol's overall health harms exceed any potential gains.
A major review confirms alcohol's widespread harms, but can your daily glass of wine actually be protecting your heart?
If alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, why are its health warnings decades behind those for tobacco?
With new drugs curbing cravings, could a pill soon become the primary treatment for alcohol use disorder?
Alcohol’s Widespread Health Harms: 2026 Systematic Review Finds No Safe Level, Urges Policy Action
Overview
A major systematic review published in May 2026 in Addiction has confirmed that alcohol consumption causes widespread harm to human health. The review updates the scientific consensus, showing that drinking is linked to many diseases and injuries, and contributes significantly to global health problems. Alcohol impairs important functions like balance, reaction time, and judgment, which leads to a higher risk of serious incidents such as traffic accidents, falls, and violence. These incidents can harm both the drinker and others, highlighting the broad and varied dangers of alcohol use.