A glass of wine with dinner. A beer while watching the game. A celebratory cocktail with friends. For many people, these habits feel harmless, perhaps even healthy. But a new study suggests that when it comes to alcohol, the health risks may begin earlier than previously believed.

In fact, the research finds no overall protective health benefits from alcohol consumption at any level. Instead, the team concluded that even relatively low levels of drinking are associated with health risks, and those risks increase steadily as alcohol consumption rises.

The amount consumed was not the only factor that mattered. Drinking patterns also played a role.

The study was commissioned to help inform the latest U.S. Dietary Guidelines and represents one of the most comprehensive evaluations of alcohol's health effects to date. Rather than following a single group of participants, researchers combined data from multiple large U.S. sources, including national health surveys, mortality records, alcohol consumption databases and disease statistics. They also reviewed more than 7,200 scientific articles examining alcohol-related disease and injuries before applying those findings to sophisticated statistical models.

The goal was to estimate how lifetime drinking habits influence the risk of illness, disability and premature death among Americans. Perhaps most surprising was what the researchers did not find. Despite years of headlines suggesting that moderate drinking may protect the heart, the new analysis found no significant overall health benefits from moderate drinking.

“Even low levels of alcohol use come with health risks,” lead author Kevin Shield, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and senior scientist who leads the World Health Organization Pan American Health Organization Collaborating Centre to Addiction and Mental Health, said in a press release. “And that risk continues to increase the more someone drinks.”

It's worth noting that the study identified some potential benefits. Low levels of alcohol consumption appeared to be associated with reduced risks of ischemic heart disease and stroke.

Some of the health risks associated with alcohol increased even at relatively modest levels of consumption.

However, when researchers examined the full spectrum of alcohol-related health outcomes, including cancers, liver disease, injuries and cardiovascular conditions, those limited benefits were outweighed by the overall harms.

Cancer emerged as a particularly important concern. The researchers found elevated risks for several cancers, including of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum and breast. Some of these risks increased even at relatively modest levels of consumption. Women who consumed one drink per day, for instance, experienced increased risks of dying from breast and liver cancer, compared with women who did not drink.

The amount consumed was not the only factor that mattered. Drinking patterns also played a role. Consuming multiple drinks during a single occasion, a pattern often referred to as binge or heavy episodic drinking, was linked to higher risks of breast cancer, cardiovascular events, injuries, motor vehicle crashes and other serious health consequences.

The findings arrive amid ongoing debate over alcohol guidance in the United States. Previous federal recommendations suggested up to two drinks daily for men and one drink daily for women. The latest Dietary Guidelines advise Americans to drink less alcohol for better health but do not specify a numerical limit.

That doesn't mean every person who enjoys an occasional drink is destined for health problems. Individual risk varies based on age, genetics, medical history, lifestyle and drinking patterns. Still, the research reinforces a message that many public health experts have been emphasizing in recent years when it comes to alcohol — less appears to be better.

Whether you drink regularly, occasionally or not at all, this study provides a reminder that health decisions are rarely black and white. Understanding the risks is the first step toward making informed choices.

The study is published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.