Key facts
- A government-commissioned study found health risks increase with one daily alcoholic drink.
- The study concluded no level of alcohol consumption offers a protective effect on mortality.
- Researchers linked over 200 diseases, including heart disease and cancer, to moderate alcohol intake.
- The Trump administration did not incorporate the study's findings into new U.S. dietary guidelines.
- The administration instead used a separate study suggesting moderate drinking is associated with lower mortality risk.
- The Department of Health and Human Services stated the study was reviewed but not solely determinative.
A government-commissioned study that found health risks associated with even one daily alcoholic drink was published in full in an independent journal after its findings were not incorporated into new U.S. dietary guidelines. The Trump administration opted to use a separate study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which suggested moderate drinking is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause.
The Alcohol Intake and Health Study, commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-related cause was at least 1 in 1,000 for Americans consuming one drink per day, with risks escalating at higher consumption rates. Researchers identified over 200 diseases, including heart disease and cancer, linked to moderate alcohol intake.
Following a draft release, the alcohol industry lobbied against the study, questioning its methodology and alleging bias. A congressional investigation led by Republican James Comer concluded the study was "irretrievably flawed." However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services stated that the study was reviewed and that the guidelines are informed by the totality of the scientific record, denying allegations that the research was sidelined.
Six U.S. health officials had been drafting a proposal to tighten alcohol advice to one drink per day for all genders, a change that did not appear in the final guidelines published by the Trump Administration, which instead advised Americans to drink less for better health without specific serving recommendations.