A new study is challenging the conventional wisdom that a small, daily dose of alcohol might be good for your health.

The research, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, suggests that the safest amount of alcohol to consume is actually none at all. If adults do choose to drink, the team of scientists recommends setting a limit of one per day.

This challenges older guidelines, which often suggested that up to two daily drinks for men was a safe limit.

ALCOHOL DEATHS HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED IN RECENT YEARS, ESPECIALLY AMONG WOMEN

“While the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines contain a useful ‘less-is-best’ message, they provide no quantitative framework,” study co-author Timothy Naimi, director of the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, said in a press release.

“Our study was designed to do just that across the drinking spectrum.”

Researchers reached their conclusions by analyzing data on alcohol-related injuries and illnesses and comparing it with large national health and demographic databases, according to a press release.

Using statistical models, they examined how regular alcohol consumption is linked to life expectancy.

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“Even low levels of alcohol use come with health risks,” lead study author Kevin Shield, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, said in the same press release. “And that risk continues to increase the more someone drinks.”

After evaluating the cumulative risks for conditions like liver disease, stroke and certain cancers, the study suggests that the assumed benefits of drinking are heavily outweighed by the potential dangers.

For those looking to protect their long-term health, researchers emphasized that cutting back to one drink or giving up alcohol entirely appears to be the best strategy.

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, noted that this was an observational Canadian study looking at U.S. census data.

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“It is massive, but still not proof,” cautioned Siegel, who was not involved in the study. “I am impressed with the endpoint, which is to assess alcohol-specific mortality,” he added.

The doctor called the research “convincing” in terms of showing that even lower levels of drinking carry a mortality risk.

“We are in the process of debunking previous research and public health statements that a small amount of alcohol is actually good for you, and replacing it with the more realistic and accurate notion that no amount of alcohol is good,” he told Fox News Digital.

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Alcohol affects multiple systems throughout the body, acting as a toxin that can compromise vital organs over time, according to the doctor.

Siegel warned that “alcohol is bad for the heart, the liver and the brain, and it increases inflammation and certain cancers, all of which lead to increased mortality risks.”

While the research offers an overview of public health trends, it is an observational study based on U.S. census data, meaning it can only show strong correlations and cannot prove direct cause and effect, the researchers acknowledged.

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Additionally, because the study relies on self-reported drinking habits, it is subject to the common limitation of individuals underestimating or misreporting their actual alcohol consumption.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its list of permissible sunscreen ingredients for the first time in more than 25 years.

On Tuesday, the federal health agency signed off on allowing bemotrizinol to be added to sunscreen products after it met the FDA’s standard for protecting against dangerous ultraviolet rays and causing little irritation or absorption into the skin, according to the Associated Press.

This addition gives Americans access to a skin-protecting chemical that has been historically used in Europe and other parts of the world.

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Bemotrizinol will initially be sold in the U.S. as Parsol Shield, manufactured by Dutch company DSM Nutritional Products, expected to launch later in 2026, the AP reported. The ingredient will be available for use by other manufacturers after an 18-month exclusivity period.

DSM (the sunscreen ingredient company) submitted a format request for the FDA to approve bemotrizinol as a new sunscreen ingredient in the U.S., allowing its use in over-the-counter sunscreens at concentrations up to 6%.

In a December press release announcing the proposal of this request, the FDA noted that bemotrizinol is “generally recognized” as safe and effective for adults and children 6 months and older.

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FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, commented in a statement that the agency has “historically moved too slowly in this area, leaving Americans with fewer options than consumers abroad.”

“We’re continuing to modernize the regulation of sunscreen and other over-the-counter drug products,” he said in the release. “Americans deserve timely access to the best safe, effective and consumer-friendly over-the-counter products available.”

In the same news release, Karen Murry, MD, acting director of the Office of Nonprescription Drugs in Maryland, commented that bemotrizinol “would be a welcome addition to the current array of effective sunscreen active ingredients already available to American consumers.”

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“We look forward to working with other companies on bringing products containing other new active ingredients to market for a wide array of conditions in multiple therapeutic areas, in a much more timely fashion than was possible in the past,” she added.

The FDA continues to regulate sunscreen products to ensure that they meet safety and effectiveness standards, while encouraging the public to use numerous protective measures.

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This includes using broad-spectrum sunscreens SPF 15 or higher to help reduce the risk of skin cancer and signs of aging, along with wearing protective clothing and limiting time in the sun.