If you drink alcohol, the type of drink in your glass may matter more than you think for your heart. Wine sits on one side of a sharp divide, and every other type of alcohol appears to sit on the other.
An analysis of 340,924 UK adults tracked for more than 13 years found that moderate wine drinkers had a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular death than never or occasional drinkers. Even low intake of beer, cider, or spirits was tied to a 9% higher risk.
The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans on March 28, 2026. The study is observational, meaning it can flag associations but cannot prove cause.
Senior author Zhangling Chen, MD, PhD, of Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University in China, said the split has practical value. "These findings can help refine guidance, emphasizing that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the type of beverage," Chen said.
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What the researchers measured
Data came from the UK Biobank, a large health database that followed participants from 2006 to 2022. Alcohol intake was measured in grams of pure alcohol per week or day, then sorted into never or occasional, low, moderate, and high categories.
For men, moderate meant 20 to 40 grams a day, roughly one and a half to three standard drinks. For women, the moderate band was 10 to 20 grams a day.
Heavy drinkers of any beverage fared worst overall. Compared with never or occasional drinkers, high-intake participants had a 24% higher risk of dying from any cause, a 36% higher risk of cancer death, and a 14% higher risk of heart disease death.
Why wine may look different
Researchers point to several possible explanations. Red wine contains polyphenols and antioxidants that may support cardiovascular health, and wine tends to be consumed with meals by people who already follow a higher-quality diet.
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Beer and spirits are more often drunk outside meals and cluster with poorer diet quality and other lifestyle risk factors. That leaves room for lifestyle to be doing some of the work the wine itself is credited with.
The study relied on self-reported drinking at enrollment and did not track how habits changed over time. UK Biobank participants also tend to be healthier than the general population, which limits how broadly the numbers apply.
What health authorities still say
The results do not change mainstream advice. The American Heart Association's guidance is that "if you currently don't drink alcohol, don't start."
For people who do drink, the group sets a ceiling of two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. The AHA does not recommend drinking wine or any other alcohol to gain potential heart benefits.
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Chen also cautioned that the numbers come from a general adult population. In certain high-risk groups, such as people with chronic diseases or existing cardiovascular conditions, she noted, "the risks could be even higher."
The authors called for high-quality randomized trials before any recommendations are rewritten.
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This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.