A short Mass General Brigham video recaps the current evidence on alcohol and heart health: any amount carries some risk, and risk climbs as intake rises. Large population and genetic analyses, including an MGB-led study, link alcohol to higher rates of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. Signals that “a little might help” appear to come from who moderate drinkers are and what they do, not from alcohol itself. Heavy use raises heart disease risk substantially.

MGB has also highlighted research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that found light to moderate drinking was associated with lower stress-related brain activity, and that lower stress activity correlated with fewer heart events. Their cardiologists are clear that this is not a reason to drink, because alcohol has well-documented harms, including increased cancer risk and adverse brain effects. The takeaway is that any apparent benefit likely reflects stress-pathway biology or healthier lifestyles in moderate drinkers, not a cardioprotective effect of alcohol.

For practical guidance, the American Heart Association says not to start drinking for health reasons and, if you do drink, to limit it to up to 2 drinks per day for men and 1 for women. People with existing conditions like hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, or prior heart disease should discuss personal risk and safer limits with their clinician.

Find more from Mass General Brigham (USA, November 2025)