Federal health and agriculture officials are reportedly planning to drop the long-standing guidance that Americans limit their alcohol consumption to just one or two drinks a day.
Citing three sources familiar with the matter, Reuters said Wednesday that the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines were expected to include a “brief” statement that encourages people to drink in moderation or limit intake due to health risks. It remains unclear what that might look like, but another source familiar with the process said that the update was to ensure the guidelines reflect only the strongest evidence.
However, the guidelines are still in development, the sources noted. They are updated every five years and may be released as soon as this month.
The Independent’s request for comment from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services was not immediately returned.
Excessive drinking can raise the risk of illness, injury, and disease, resulting in about 178,000 deaths every year. More research has come out on the deadly consequences of drinking this year, including the rise in associated liver disease and cancer deaths over the past two decades. In January, Biden-era Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for a new label on drinks to warn of the cancer risk.
Although, some researchers have identified surprising benefits of alcohol, including a reduced risk of cardiac arrest and protection against stroke.
Right now, the guidelines say that drinking less alcohol is better for health than drinking more. American women should limit themselves to one drink or less in a day, while men should stick to two. A drink is defined as a five ounce glass of wine, a one-and-a-half-ounce glass of distilled spirits, or a 12-ounce bottle of beer.
“Individuals who do not drink alcohol should not start drinking for any reason,” the guidelines note.
The last systematic review on alcohol and health conducted for the guidelines focused on all causes of related death in 2020. However, questions related to weight changes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive health, and lactation have not been examined since 2010, the National Academies Press said.
Eva Greenthal, a senior policy scientist at the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the agency that the more general language expected in the guidelines was "so vague as to be unhelpful".
Under such a change, the message that even moderate drinking can increase risks, especially for breast cancer, would get lost, she continued.
