Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42688145›Full record

ArticleNature health2026

Health effects associated with alcohol consumption: a Burden of Proof study.

Xiaochen Dai, Sneha I Nicholson, Hilary R Lawlor, Sinclair Carr, Jaimie D Steinmetz, Natalie M Chen, Susan A McLaughlin, Simon I Hay, Kanyin L Ong, Aleksandr Y Aravkin and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Xiaochen DaiInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0289-7814
Sneha I NicholsonInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Hilary R LawlorInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Sinclair CarrDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0421-3145
Jaimie D SteinmetzInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Natalie M ChenInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Susan A McLaughlinInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Simon I HayInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0611-7272
Kanyin L OngInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Aleksandr Y AravkinInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Peng ZhengInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3313-215X
Reed J D SorensenInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Nora M GilbertsonInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Erin C MullanyInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Erin M O'ConnellInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Christopher J L MurrayInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4930-9450
Emmanuela GakidouInstitute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8992-591X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The relationship between alcohol and health is complex, and the evidence relating alcohol consumption to various cardiovascular diseases, cancers and other conditions is evolving. Moreover, alcohol drinking guidelines vary widely. Here we conducted 16 systematic reviews across four databases and conservatively re-evaluated dose-response relationships between alcohol consumption and 20 health outcomes, analysing 843 cohort and case-control studies using the Burden of Proof meta-analytic framework. We found that levels of current alcohol consumption are associated with increased risks for cancers of the breast, colorectum, oesophagus, larynx, lip and oral cavities, pharynx, liver, stomach, pancreas and prostate, as well as pancreatitis, cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases, lower respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and atrial fibrillation and flutter. We found J- or U-shaped relationships between alcohol consumption and type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke. While potential health impacts at low-to-moderate levels varied by outcome, high levels of alcohol consumption were associated with increased risk across all outcomes.

Indexed as

DiseasesRisk factors

Identifiers

PMID42688145
PMCPMC13533843

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.