Research
Adherence
Alcohol use has a net negative mortality effect, causing 90,000 deaths which outweigh the 26,000 deaths averted by current use.
Be aware that alcohol consumption has a net negative impact on mortality, causing 90,000 deaths annually in the US. While it may avert some cardiovascular deaths, the overall risk is higher due to cancers, liver disease, and injuries.
StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
Although 26,000 (23,000–40,000) deaths from ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and diabetes were averted by current alcohol use, they were outweighed by 90,000 (88,000–94,000) deaths from other cardiovascular diseases, cancers, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, alcohol use disorders, road traffic and other injuries, and violence.
Why this rating
Based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Source
Correction: The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors
Goodarz Danaei et al. · PLoS Medicine · 2011
DOI 10.1371/annotation/0ef47acd-9dcc-4296-a897-872d182cde57
Meta-analysisCited 16×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Tobacco smoking and high blood pressure are the leading preventable causes of death in the US, responsible for approximately 467,000 and 395,000 deaths respectively in 2005.Strong
- Overweight/obesity and physical inactivity are each responsible for nearly 1 in 10 deaths in the US, with obesity causing 216,000 and inactivity 191,000 deaths.Strong
- High dietary salt, low omega-3 fatty acids, and high trans fatty acids are the dietary risks with the largest mortality effects, causing 102,000, 84,000, and 82,000 deaths respectively.Strong
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →