A study commissioned by President Joe Biden’s administration to investigate alcohol-related health harms was released independently on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump’s administration decided not to feature the researchers’ findings in new dietary guidelines as it faced pushback from the alcohol industry and a congressional committee, reports BritPanorama.
The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, align with years of research indicating that health risks increase with just one drink a day and that no level of alcohol has a protective effect on mortality. Even levels deemed “moderate” raise the risk of premature death and more than 200 diseases, including heart disease and cancer, according to the researchers.
This study was one of two government reviews intended to inform the new dietary guidelines. Released earlier this year, those guidelines advised consuming less alcohol for better overall health. Yet, the authors of the newly released study argued that the guidelines lacked detailed practical advice about the risks associated with drinking.
One official involved in the study accused Trump’s Republican administration of “sidelining” the research, an assertion that the Trump administration has denied.
Industry and congressional Republicans pushed back on the study
Following the release of a draft report last year, the alcohol industry mobilized against the study, launching campaigns to discredit its findings. The House oversight committee criticized the study earlier this year, describing it as “fraught with bias” and alleging that its authors had predetermined conclusions based on prior research.
Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, denied claims that the study was overlooked during the guideline development process.
HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reviewed the study alongside a wider body of scientific evidence, following established procedures for developing the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, according to Hilliard. “The Guidelines are informed by the totality of the scientific record, not any single report or analysis,” she stated.
Vincent told The Associated Press that the researchers were thoroughly vetted for conflicts, and that the findings were scientifically sound. His claim that he was instructed to halt the study while he served in the Trump administration has not received an immediate response from HHS.
Findings support more forceful alcohol intake recommendation
The Trump administration’s previously released dietary guidelines recommended consuming “less alcohol for better overall health.” However, the researchers indicate that their findings support a more explicit recommendation that adult drinkers limit their intake to one drink or fewer per day.
Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and a co-author of the study, expressed support for the message that less is best, but emphasized the necessity of providing quantity information to make genuinely informative guidelines.
The study contrasts with other research commissioned by the government on the same topic, which suggested that moderate alcohol use may correlate with a decreased risk of mortality from all causes, although it also mentioned an increased risk of certain diseases.
Research aligns with other recent findings
Recent findings echo the latest scientific consensus: less alcohol is better for health, according to Naimi. A 2019 study published in The Lancet found that moderate drinking slightly elevated the risk of stroke and high blood pressure, offering no protective health benefits.
Moderate drinking was previously thought to confer heart benefits, but improved research methodologies have undermined that perspective. Past studies compared groups based on drinking levels without confirming cause and effect, and upon adjusting for factors like education and health access, the supposed benefits largely diminished.
About half of Americans aged 12 or older consumed alcohol in the past month, making it the most commonly used addictive substance in the U.S. One drink is typically considered one 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a shot of liquor.
