Sidelined US research on alcohol’s health effects published in independent journal

By Emma Rumney

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) – A study that found even low levels of drinking alcohol can increase health risks was published in full on Tuesday in an independent journal after a draft version was sidelined by the Trump Administration, which opted not to consider the federally commissioned research to inform new U.S. drinking guidelines set out earlier this year. 

• The study found that the lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-related cause stood at least 1 in 1,000 for Americans having one drink per day, but that risks jumped at higher drinking rates and to 1 in 25 for American men drinking two drinks per day.

• The alcohol industry, which lobbied against the study, says its methodology was flawed and it was led by scientists biased against alcohol.

• On Tuesday, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said a congressional investigation concluded the study was “irretrievably flawed” and should not be considered for the dietary guidelines. The investigation was led by Republican James Comer of Kentucky, the home of America’s bourbon whisky.

• The Trump Administration opted to use a separate study from the non-profit National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to inform the alcohol update, according to a scientific report accompanying the guidelines. That study found that moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of dying from any cause.

• The scientific report accompanying the guidelines also said that a recommendation from nutrition scientists that the government consider both the federally commissioned study and the NASEM report in the alcohol advice was “not implemented.” A U.S. health department spokesperson said it was inaccurate to characterise the study as sidelined and it had “reviewed” the work.

• A group of six U.S. health officials had in early 2025 been drafting a proposal to tighten alcohol advice for Americans to one drink per day for all genders, versus two drinks per day for men and one for women in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines. The Trump Administration ultimately published new advice that guided Americans to drink less for better health, but without advice on servings.

• The Alcohol Intake and Health Study was commissioned under the Biden Administration by the Department of Health and Human Services to update the alcohol advice in the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, laid out in January.

• A draft version of the study was published in January 2025. The final version was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by David Holmes and Nick Zieminski)