A recent government study on alcohol consumption unveiled that health risks begin with a single daily drink. The research, released on Tuesday, has drawn criticism from the alcohol industry.
According to the study, even one drink per day slightly raises the risk of premature death from alcohol-related illnesses or injuries, affecting one in 1,000 individuals. This risk increases significantly to one in 25 among those consuming two drinks daily. This level has traditionally been viewed as safe for men. The study’s findings were published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
The Biden administration commissioned two reports to update the U.S. dietary guidelines. The Alcohol Intake and Health Study is one such report. In contrast, another report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) presented differing conclusions. It indicated that moderate drinking, defined as up to two drinks per day for men and one for women, might be healthier than abstaining, though it also associated moderate drinking with an increased risk of breast cancer. Notably, some panelists involved in this report had financial connections to the alcohol industry.
The conclusions from the NASEM report were more favorable to the alcohol industry, which criticized the Alcohol Intake and Health Study as ideologically motivated and scientifically unsound. The industry claimed it had raised these concerns with government officials over several years.
When the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines in January, they advised reducing alcohol consumption for better health. However, they did not specify daily drinking limits, differing from previous guidance.