Just when we thought moderate alcohol use was good for us

There's an old drinking joke:

One is not enough.
Two is just right.
There is not enough.

Of course, that referred to the buzz not the health benefits. For quite a long while we've been hearing that moderate drinking wasn't just harmless but could actually have some benefit, red wine particular.

So now we get this from Foxnews.com telling us that even moderation is harmful.

Among men, cancers of the upper airway (meaning the oral cavity and pharynx or the larynx) and the esophagus were the most fatal cancers pegged to alcohol. They killed approximately 6,000 men.

Among women, breast cancer was the top cause of cancer death. About 15 percent of breast cancer deaths in 2009 were linked to alcohol.

Although it's not exactly clear why alcohol increases cancer risk, one theory is that it damages DNA material in cells.

Then there's this bit of bad news:

Although the study found that people who drank more alcohol – three or more drinks a day – had the highest number of cancer deaths, even regular, low-dose consumption increased risk. Approximately 30 percent of alcohol-related cancer deaths in 2009 occurred in people who had downed one and a half drinks a day or less.

Dang. How do you make a joke about that?