- New U.S. Dietary Guidelines may include lenient directives on alcohol, contradicting existing advice.
- Studies suggest even moderate alcohol intake could carry health risk, but not all agree.
- Reuters reports the alcohol industry spent millions on guidelines-related lobbying efforts.
The U.S. government may drop longstanding advice to limit alcohol intake to one or two drinks a day, according to a story from Reuters that quoted “three sources familiar with the matter.”
The news organization said such action could amount to “a major win for an industry threatened by heightened scrutiny of alcohol’s health effects.”
Advice to limit alcohol has long been part of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, for which an update was due sometime this year. Reuters reported that the new release will likely include a short section encouraging Americans to drink in moderation. But the specific advice is probably not actually going to be very specific, if the reports prove true.
The new guidelines are also expected to tackle the issue of saturated fat and ultra-processed foods, which are both considered unhealthy. Sources told Reuters separately that the new guidelines are likely to come out this month to get them in place before school lunch menus are planned for the upcoming year.
Mounting evidence of problems?
The advice on alcohol consumption, if it changes, comes at a time when research increasingly suggests any alcohol intake carries some health risk, as Deseret News reported in January.
That article noted the World Health Organization’s advice that there’s no safe level of alcohol consumption. The U.S. panel, however, had continued to suggest drinking offers heart health benefits.
Per the article, “The World Health Organization has said there’s no risk-free level of alcohol consumption. And studies increasingly debunk what have been called protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption, including findings of fewer all-cause deaths, strokes and heart attacks when compared to those outcomes in people who never drank.”
Deseret News wrote that the U.S. was at odds with other countries’ advice on risks associated with alcohol. Existing U.S. guidelines say women should consume no more than one serving a day, while men should consume no more than two.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers guidance on what constitutes a drink: 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.
Dueling alcohol studies
Alcohol use has been linked to greater risk of some health problems, including breast cancer. But earlier research had heralded a lower risk of stroke and possibly dementia for those who consumed red wine. As Deseret News also reported, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said alcohol use could raise the risk of seven or more types of cancer. He suggested warning labels about cancer risk be placed on alcoholic beverages.
In his Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, Murthy cited what he called a “well-established, direct link” to cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth, throat and voice box — a risk that increased regardless of the type of alcohol consumed. He noted that more than 16% of breast cancer cases were related to drinking.
But more studies give thumbs down to alcohol than thumbs up.
Per Deseret News, “The “Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health” by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine does report that ‘the harms of acute intoxication and habitual heavy drinking are well-known and, as with other drugs that are addictive, use at low levels carries a risk of increasing and excess use.’ It also notes that ‘over 20% of those who consume alcohol will develop an alcohol use disorder sometime during their lifetime.’ Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance use disorder in America, per the report, ‘although this progression is likely dependent on drinking patterns and individual characteristics including ancestry/genetics.’”
Recent research is also a bit inconsistent. Per Reuters, “Two studies were produced to inform the development of the guidelines. The first found that moderate drinking was associated with increased risk of some cancers, but a decreased risk of dying from any cause and some cardiovascular problems like stroke.” It was not possible to draw conclusions on all the health impacts studied, per the report.
“The other report conversely found the risk of dying from alcohol use, including increased risk for seven cancers, begins at any or low levels of alcohol use and increases with higher consumption.”
Existing dietary guidelines say people should not start drinking and add that “drinking less is better for health than drinking more.” It’s unclear what the new guidelines will say about that or if they will address it.
Reuters said its request for comment on whether guidance will change was ignored. And the story noted that “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a known teetotaler, has remained largely silent on alcohol but has emphasized a focus on whole foods in the upcoming guidelines.”
The article adds that “major industry players, including Diageo and Anheuser-Busch InBev have lobbied lawmakers throughout the review process. Senate records show the companies spent millions on lobbying efforts related to the guidelines and a range of other issues such as tax and trade in 2024 and 2025. Both companies declined to comment.”