Key facts
- A U.S. government-commissioned study found that even one drink per day is associated with increased health risks.
- The study indicated a lifetime risk of at least 1 in 1,000 for alcohol-related death with one drink daily, rising to 1 in 100 for two drinks daily.
- The Trump Administration did not incorporate the study's findings into the latest U.S. drinking guidelines.
- The full research was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs after being sidelined.
- The administration instead used research from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which suggested moderate drinking is linked to lower mortality risk.
A U.S. government-commissioned study on the health effects of alcohol, which concluded that even low levels of consumption increase health risks, has been published in full by an independent journal. The research, titled the Alcohol Intake and Health Study, was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to inform the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A draft version was released in January 2025.
However, the Trump Administration chose not to consider the study's findings when releasing its updated alcohol advice earlier this year. Instead, the administration relied on a separate study from the non-profit National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which indicated that moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of dying from any cause.
The full study, published on Tuesday in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, found that the lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-related cause, including injuries and accidents, is at least 1 in 1,000 for individuals consuming one drink per day. This risk escalates to 1 in 100 for those consuming two drinks daily. For American men, two drinks per day—often considered moderate drinking—carried a 1 in 25 risk. The study also linked even one drink a day to increased risks of certain cancers and injuries.
Industry groups and some U.S. lawmakers have criticized the study's methodology, calling it flawed, opaque, and potentially biased due to the lead scientists' opposition to alcohol consumption. The Trump Administration's published advice encouraged Americans to drink less for better health but omitted specific serving size recommendations.