Report Highlights Alcohol’s Health Risks

WASHINGTON — A report on the health impacts of alcohol, commissioned by the government but suppressed during the Trump administration, was published on Tuesday in a scientific journal. The study reveals that even minimal alcohol consumption can heighten the risks of various diseases and potentially lead to death.

The Alcohol Intake and Health Study, initiated in 2023 by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), aimed to update the dietary guidelines for the United States. However, it quickly became mired in controversy, with criticisms from certain congressional members and alcohol industry representatives suggesting that the researchers held anti-alcohol biases.

The final findings of this study were not released by the Trump administration. A report from the House Oversight Committee in January dismissed it as “irretrievably flawed” and suggested that dietary guideline authors disregard its conclusions. Some researchers involved, who are affiliated with institutions outside the government, argue that their work was politically influenced and buried because it was unfavorable to powerful alcohol industry interests.

Facing rejection from Trump officials, the researchers brought their findings to the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, which published it—without mentioning SAMHSA’s funding. The study concluded that even a single drink per day may elevate the risk of serious health issues and mortality among Americans.

“These findings are not radical. They are rigorous — and commercially threatening,” noted Robert Vincent, a former SAMHSA official who oversaw the study in a related editorial. Vincent himself lost his position last year amid significant budget cuts across federal health agencies.

Emily Hilliard, speaking for the Department of Health and Human Services, mentioned that officials assessed the alcohol study along with the broader scientific evidence when revising the nation’s dietary guidelines.

Released in January, the new guidelines featured a striking change, moving away from decades-old advice on alcohol consumption. Instead of the previous recommendation to limit drinks to one or two per day, they now suggest simply reducing alcohol intake for improved health.

According to Hilliard, the guidelines reflect the overall scientific record and not any singular analysis. However, an accompanying scientific appendix clarified that the officials relied on a different study—not the SAMHSA report—for guidance on alcohol recommendations.

Traditionally, drinking limits for men were set at double those for women due to biological differences in alcohol processing. Yet, the SAMHSA report calls for a gender-neutral guideline, suggesting that adults should limit themselves to one drink per day. Another committee working on the dietary guidelines had reached a similar conclusion in 2020, but it was not implemented.

At a time when Americans are consuming less alcohol while being increasingly health-conscious, the prevalence of alcohol-related issues remains concerning. Alcohol accounts for approximately 178,000 annual deaths in the U.S., and heavy drinking is linked to numerous health problems and increased mortality risks.

However, scientific views on the effects of small alcohol amounts are somewhat conflicting. A recent significant review published in Nature Health found associations between low-to-moderate drinking and reduced risks of certain cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Conversely, it also highlighted that even slight alcohol consumption could heighten cancer risks, leading the authors to suggest there isn’t enough evidence to support different thresholds for men and women.

Critics argue that the Trump administration’s choice to withhold the alcohol report affects public health and raises questions about scientific independence. There have been instances of research funding being cut or threatened over topics deemed controversial by officials, such as gender diversity and racial inequality. Recently, proposals to alter how scientific grants are distributed have emerged to give political appointees more power over federally-funded research.

“The public health consequences of sidelining evidence-based alcohol policy are immediate and cumulative,” Vincent reiterated in his editorial.

Ultimately, Trump officials preferred a study led by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which, at Congress’s request, found some evidence suggesting moderate drinking may result in lower overall mortality. However, this analysis did not focus on alcohol-related causes of death and also noted an increased risk of breast cancer linked to moderate drinking. Critics have pointed out that the panel included individuals with ties to the alcohol industry.

On the contrary, the SAMHSA panel concluded that there is no net health advantage associated with alcohol, indicating that even moderate consumption entails certain risks. One drink per day correlates with increased risks of liver cirrhosis, cancers of the esophagus and oral cavity, as well as injuries. For women, this risk even extends to liver cancer.

The researchers used meta-analyses and data modeling to assess alcohol-specific risks related to different diseases and injuries, comparing these to risks in those who abstain from alcohol. They excluded former drinkers to avoid bias stemming from individuals who stopped drinking due to health issues. The research utilized U.S. data, including surveys and injury statistics.

While the lifetime risk of dying from one drink per day is about 1 in 1,000, it increases with higher consumption levels. At 14 drinks weekly, men’s lifetime risk of alcohol-related death rises to 1 in 25. For women, the risk escalates sharply: consuming two drinks daily significantly heightens their risk of severe liver disease compared to men at the same level of consumption.

Your risk may slightly improve with occasional consumption of up to three drinks per week, though the effects aren’t statistically significant. It’s worth noting that women may see a lowered risk of diabetes with up to one drink a day—a finding that has been supported by other studies, albeit varying across individuals.

Binge drinking—defined as consuming five or more drinks in a single sitting for men and four for women—elevates the likelihood of heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, and injuries, according to the review.