Alcohol-cancer link is not as scary as it seems

Let's stipulate that there may be a correlation between light or moderate drinking and some cancers

The headline had some of my friends in a panic. Citing evidence, the American Society of Clinical Oncology warned that even light drinking could increase the risk of cancer.

Once again, we’ve been told that something we eat or drink is going to kill us. Once again, we’re provided an opportunity: A more nuanced discussion of risk — and how we communicate it — can leave us much happier, and perhaps healthier.

Let’s begin with the fact that it’s easy to use studies to talk about cancer. Nothing illustrates this better than the classic 2013 study that examined research on 40 common