Wine Drinker reports that a large independent analysis of the US REGARDS cohort found that heavy alcohol consumption was associated with higher long-term cancer mortality among adults aged 45 and over. After excluding participants with prior cancer or missing alcohol data, researchers followed 26,694 people for a median of 13.3 years, during which 2,306 cancer deaths occurred. Heavy drinkers had a 21% higher adjusted hazard of cancer death than non-drinkers, while moderate drinking showed no clear link and light drinking appeared associated with lower risk, though this may reflect residual confounding rather than protection. The association did not differ significantly by sex, and while smoking partly explained the increased risk among heavy drinkers, it did not fully account for it.