GOVERNMENT STUDY HIGHLIGHTS ALCOHOL HEALTH RISKS, CONTRADICTING PREVIOUS GUIDELINES

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.

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, with no level of alcohol providing a protective effect on mortality. Researchers found that even levels considered 'moderate' elevate the risk of premature death and over 200 diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

The new study was one of two government reviews aimed at informing the new dietary guidelines. Released earlier this year, the guidelines advised consuming 'less alcohol for better overall health.' However, the authors of the independently released study argue that the guidelines did not provide detailed practical advice regarding the risks of drinking.

One official involved in the study accused Trump's Republican administration of 'sidelining' the research, a claim that the Trump administration denies. Robert Vincent, a former official at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration who led the years-long effort, made these allegations in an editorial published alongside the study. Vincent was laid off last year due to a government reduction in force.

'The challenges confronting alcohol policy today are not rooted in scientific uncertainty,' Vincent stated. 'What remains contested is whether evidence will meaningfully inform policy when it conflicts with commercial interests.'

The dispute over the study highlights the increasingly strained relations between the medical and scientific community and the Trump administration, which has questioned or overlooked established science in its policymaking, dismissed numerous veteran scientists from the federal workforce, and reduced scientific grants that proponents argue are essential for maintaining the U.S. at the forefront of medical innovation.

After the researchers released a draft report last year, the alcohol industry mobilized against it, launching campaigns to discredit the work. The House oversight committee criticized the study, labeling it 'fraught with bias' and accusing the authors of having predetermined conclusions based on their previous research and affiliations.

Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, refuted any suggestion that the study was disregarded. She stated that HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture 'reviewed the study alongside the broader body of available scientific evidence and followed the established process for developing the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.' Hilliard added, 'The Guidelines are informed by the totality of the scientific record, not any single report or analysis.'

Vincent told The Associated Press that the researchers underwent thorough vetting for conflicts and that the findings were scientifically sound. He claimed that during his tenure in the Trump administration, he was 'asked to kill the study' but refused. HHS did not immediately respond to that assertion, stating that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration was not involved in the study's review or clearance for publication.

Amanda Berger, senior vice president of science and research for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, asserted in an email to the AP that the congressional committee's findings indicated the study was 'irretrievably flawed.'

The Trump administration's dietary guidelines earlier this year recommended 'less alcohol for better overall health.' The researchers stated that while they do not dispute that advice, their findings support a more robust recommendation that current adult drinkers limit their intake to one drink or fewer per day.

'I’m glad that they had a message that corresponds with our science, and that is that less is best,' said Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the University of Victoria’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and one of the study’s authors. 'But giving people quantity information is necessary to make a truly informative guideline.'

The new study diverged from other government-commissioned research on the issue, which suggested that moderate alcohol use was linked to a decreased risk of mortality from all causes, albeit with an increased risk of certain diseases. Priscilla Martinez-Matyszczyk, one of the authors and a deputy scientific director at the Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group, explained that their study specifically examined mortality attributed to alcohol to avoid confounding factors.

Martinez-Matyszczyk also addressed a point raised by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz regarding the social aspects of drinking. She noted, 'I don’t know of any studies that have teased out the social effect from the health effect.'

Naimi stated that the new findings align with recent scientific consensus indicating that less alcohol consumption is better for health. A 2019 study published in Lancet revealed that moderate drinking slightly increased the risk of stroke and high blood pressure without providing protective health benefits.

Historically, moderate drinking was believed to benefit heart health, but improved research methodologies have undermined that notion. Earlier studies often compared groups based on drinking levels rather than randomly assigning individuals to drink or abstain, thus failing to establish cause and effect. When researchers adjusted for factors such as education, income, and healthcare access, the purported benefits generally vanished.

Approximately 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 defined as a 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a shot of liquor.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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2026-06-09T19:13:40Z