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)

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