Using two large, independent datasets, this study identified an increased risk in mortality among individuals who drink 1–2 drinks 4 or more times weekly compared to individuals who drink 1–2 drinks 3 times weekly, despite the fact that both groups may be drinking within the current U.S. dietary guidelines of up to 1 drink daily for women and up to 2 drinks daily for men (Division of Population Health ; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture 2015; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 2016). Although other studies have evaluated the association between drinking frequency and mortality (2003; Foster and Marriott 2006; Costanzo, Di Castelnuovo, Donati et al. 2010), the unique aspect of our study is in identifying the nadir of all-cause mortality associated with the frequency of low level drinking and using that nadir as the reference category for comparison, rather than using non-drinkers as the reference category.
