Moderation Instead Of Strict Limits: Alcohol Consumption Guidance Gets A Significant Revamp

Yesterday, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins held a press conference to release the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. The release of updated dietary guidelines is a regular action that has occurred every five years since 1980, but several of the changes stood out to the American people. Namely, these updated guidelines significantly change the food pyramid, and the wording around alcohol consumption has been notably loosened, stating simply that individuals should "limit alcohol consumption for better overall health."

The loose wording gives little clear guidance and stands in stark contrast to the general trend over previous years toward greater concern with even moderate alcohol use. Prior to these changes, the guidelines were much more specific, stating that men should consume no more than two alcoholic drinks per day, and women no more than one. To address the reasoning behind these changes, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, spoke at the press conference. "Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together," Oz stated. "In the best case scenario, I don't think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize." In addition to lauding the use of alcohol for interpersonal bonding, Oz also questioned the validity of the data informing the previous strict one-to-two drink limits, claiming that the data in question was "probably primarily confused with broader data about social connectedness."

It is important to note that despite the removal of any strict limits, Oz's direct statement is that eliminating alcohol consumption entirely is the best-case scenario for individual health. That said, the door is left open for, in his words, "small amounts taken very judiciously and usually in a celebratory fashion."

Despite these changes in dietary guidance for the U.S., the general consensus in the medical community is the same. Doctors have been seriously concerned with changing drinking habits for years, and research has consistently shown clear links between alcohol consumption and serious conditions such as heart and liver disease, stroke, and cancer.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no quantity of alcohol consumption that is safe. Within the WHO guidelines, the organization notes that for decades now, alcohol has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen — the highest risk group, which also contains such substances as tobacco, asbestos, and radiation — by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. "We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use," stated Dr. Carina Ferreira-Borges, a regional advisor on alcohol, illicit drugs, and prison health in the WHO Regional Office for Europe. "It doesn't matter how much you drink — the risk to the drinker's health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage."

While the dietary guidelines regarding alcohol consumption in the U.S. may have been loosened from the strict limits that were in place before, it is clear that any level of alcohol use poses significant risks to personal health.