Wine Drinkers Face Lower Early Death Risk Than Beer or Spirits Consumers, Study Finds

A new study presented at the Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in New Orleans has found that light-to-moderate wine drinkers have a lower risk of early death compared to people who consume similar amounts of alcohol from beer, cider, or spirits. The research, which analyzed data from more than 340,000 British adults, also showed that wine drinkers had a lower risk of early death than those who never drank or drank only occasionally. The strongest impact was seen in deaths related to heart disease, with red wine drinkers appearing to benefit the most.

The study followed participants for an average of 13.4 years. Zhangling Chen, a professor at the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University in China and the study’s senior author, explained that people who drank up to 10 (for women) or 20 (for men) 5-ounce glasses of wine per week were 8% less likely to die from any cause and up to 21% less likely to die from cardiovascular causes during the follow-up period compared to non-drinkers or occasional drinkers. In contrast, those who consumed the same amount of alcohol through beer, cider, or spirits were 9% more likely to die prematurely from cardiovascular disease and also faced a higher risk of dying from non-cardiac causes such as cancer.

Chen noted that even moderate amounts of alcohol from different beverages can have varying associations with health outcomes. The type of alcoholic beverage, the amount consumed, and the context in which it is consumed—such as with meals—can all influence health risks.

The research team used data from the United Kingdom’s Biobank study, which has tracked health information for nearly half a million adults in England, Scotland, and Wales since 2006. After excluding individuals with chronic diseases and other complicating factors, including those who stopped drinking due to health problems, the researchers focused on 340,924 people—about 51% female—with an average age of 46.

The study found that people who exceeded moderate weekly alcohol intake had the highest risk of early death regardless of beverage choice. High-intake subjects were defined as women consuming more than 140 grams and men consuming more than 280 grams of pure alcohol per week—more than 10 drinks per week for women and more than 20 for men. Over the follow-up period, these individuals were 24% more likely to die from any cause, 14% more likely to die from heart disease, and 36% more likely to die from cancer compared to occasional drinkers or those who never drank.

Chen suggested several reasons why wine drinkers showed lower mortality risk. Wine contains compounds like polyphenols that may benefit heart health. Other bioactive compounds and antioxidants in wine could help reduce inflammation, lower bad cholesterol, improve vascular function, and protect against heart disease through various mechanisms.

Lifestyle factors may also play a role. People who drink wine in light-to-moderate amounts often have healthier habits overall—they may eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more frequently, or be less likely to smoke. These behaviors can contribute to a lower risk of early death.

Drinking habits also mattered in the study. Drinking alcohol with meals was associated with healthier outcomes compared to drinking on an empty stomach. Consuming alcohol before meals was linked to higher mortality risk across all beverage types. This could be due to faster ethanol absorption leading to higher peak blood alcohol concentrations and potentially greater toxic effects.

The study did not capture whether participants spread their weekly alcohol intake over several days or concentrated it on weekends. It also did not specify whether wine’s role in Mediterranean-style diets contributed directly to the observed benefits.

To isolate the effects of alcohol volume and beverage choice as much as possible, Chen’s team adjusted for differences in education, wealth, fitness levels, geographic region, diet quality, overall health status, and other factors among participants. They also accounted for people who drank a mix of different alcoholic beverages.

However, as with any observational study using self-reported data collected over many years, it is impossible to control for every potential factor. The results show associations but cannot prove cause-and-effect relationships. Unmeasured factors such as stress levels or sleep patterns could influence outcomes.

Within beverage groups themselves there were differences; for example, red wine drinkers tended to have higher education levels than non-red wine drinkers—a factor that may reflect broader lifestyle or socioeconomic differences.

While previous studies have suggested that wine may be healthier than other forms of alcohol, recent public health messaging has often argued that all alcohol is harmful. This new research suggests that the relationship between alcohol consumption and health is complex and may depend on both what people drink and how they incorporate it into their lives.