In 2016, researchers found alcohol use led to 2.8 million deaths and was the seventh leading cause of premature death globally for people aged 15 to 49.





The study collected data from 28 million people, as well as risk estimates across 592 studies.





“Small reductions in health-related harms at low levels of alcohol intake are outweighed by the increased risk of other health-related harms, including cancer,” the study published Thursday concluded.





Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the research team found the overall view of alcohol health benefits needs to be reconsidered, as well as a “refocusing on efforts to lower overall population-level consumption.”





“By evaluating all associated relative risks for alcohol use, we found that consuming zero standard drinks daily minimizes the overall risk to health,” the team, which obtained data from the 2016 Global Burden of Disease report, said.





They found the most effective way to lessen the dangers of alcohol consumption would be through taxation or price adjustments.



