Is wine good for us or not?
Is wine (and alcohol in general) good for us, bad for us, or is it just complicated? When headlines warn of potential risks, should we pay attention?
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When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warns us portentously about alcohol and cancer risk, the World Health Organization promotes health warning labels on alcoholic beverages, and Gallup polling reveals that the U.S. alcohol consumption rate has fallen to a new low amid surging health concerns, we have to acknowledge that the the French Paradox and its assurance that wine is good for our hearts may have passed its best-by date.
It should come as no huge surprise to learn that the wine and spirits industry – and some wine and spirits writers – push back hard against these developments.
“As drinking habits shift, global alcohol industry fights to stay ahead,” writer Ted Alcorn declared in the Aug. 28, 2024 edition of The Examination, an independent nonprofit newsroom that, it says,
“investigates preventable health threats and empowers people in harm’s way. Fearless journalism for a healthier world: Investigating the causes of preventable death and disease. Covering Tobacco, Big food, Pollution and more.”
“Alcohol companies are targeting new markets and dodging regulation worldwide while excess drinking causes millions of deaths each year,” Alcorn continued. (Although its tone can appear strident, The Examination boasts serious backers. Its newsroom is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Adessium Foundation, the Pulitzer Center, the IJ4EU fund, and the Medill School of Journalism.)
We’re not seeing doctors recommending wine or liquor in advertising after the fashion of these 1940s cigarette ads … not yet, anyway. From The Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising (SRITA) collection.
Alcorn’s coverage went on, “The alcohol industry is doing everything it can to stay relevant. In pursuit of new profit centers, booze, beer, and wine-makers are marketing to demographics they’ve historically underserved, including women, and looking to new markets in the Global South, where burgeoning economies with young populations offer growth opportunities. Conveniently, many of these same countries also place few or no limitations on how alcohol is sold and marketed.”
The lengthy article wraps up with three modest proposals:
Raise taxes on alcohol.
Add cancer to the list of risks on the warning label./li>
Curb consumption via global standards similar to those governing tobacco.
That sounds pretty strict to me, particularly that last: I know of no serious science placing moderate alcohol consumption anywhere close to the known risks of tobacco use.
I think Dr. Mikkael A. Sekeres set a middle ground in his March 24, 2025 Washington Post opinion piece, We asked an oncologist: Is it okay to drink just a little bit of alcohol?
“Cancer risk is not binary,” Sekeres wrote. “Having one drink, or smoking one cigarette, will not cause cancer. In general, the more you’re exposed to a risk factor, the higher your likelihood of developing cancer.” Putting theory into practice, the doctor acknowledged that he limits his alcohol consumption to one or two drinks per week.
There’s also relative risk, he said, observing that the health risks from smoking a pack of cigarettes or even eating a juicy hamburger and a plate of fries likely pose a greater health risk than drinking a glass of wine with dinner.
Ultimately, said Sekkeris, who is hematology division chief and professor of medicine at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami , it’s as simple – and as challenging – as this: “Less alcohol is better, and each of us must determine our own tolerance for cancer risk when deciding how much alcohol to drink.”
That’s consistent with my standard advice: Wine, like all alcoholic beverages, can be a blessing or a curse; and if a little of it makes good medicine, more is not better. Overconsumption risks both immediate injury for those foolish enough to drive while drunk, and long-term health problems for those who drink too much too often.
What do you think? Is wine (and alcohol in general) good for us, bad for us, or is it just complicated? Join the conversation on Substack chat.
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