A study showing that even minimal alcohol consumption significantly raises health risks has finally been published. The research was commissioned by the US Department of Health and Human Services to update alcohol consumption guidelines, but the preliminary results displeased the client and were not incorporated into the updated standards. That is hardly surprising: the findings suggest that even minimal doses are literally deadly.
The Department of Health and Human Services commissioned the non‑profit National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on “Alcohol Consumption and Health” to update the dietary guidelines. Preliminary results were released in January 2025. But the Trump administration refused to use the findings to shape the new recommendations.
What did the study find? The full version was only published in early June 2026 in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The risk of death from alcohol‑related causes, including injuries and road accidents, is at least 1 in 1,000 for Americans who consume a standard serving of alcohol, but rises to 1 in 100 for those who have two servings a day, the study said.
A standard serving is 10 grams (about 12.5 ml) of pure alcohol – roughly 330 ml of beer, 150 ml of wine or 40 ml of spirits such as vodka or whisky. For men consuming two drinks per day – a level considered moderate – the risk rises to 1 in 25, the study showed. Even one drink a day is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers and injuries.
The World Health Organization warns that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, adding that half of all alcohol‑attributable cancers in the European region are caused by “light” and “moderate” drinking – defined as less than 1.5 litres of wine, 3.5 litres of beer, or 450 ml of spirits per week.
Nevertheless, the authorities were not satisfied with the National Academies study. Representatives of the alcohol industry and some US lawmakers have argued that the methodology was flawed and opaque, and that the process was riddled with bias and conflicts of interest, conducted by scientists who are opposed to alcohol consumption.
In early 2025, a group of six US health officials was developing a proposal to tighten alcohol consumption recommendations for Americans: the new guidelines would allow only one drink per day for both sexes, compared with two drinks a day for men and one for women in the 2020‑2025 dietary guidelines. In the end, the Trump administration published new recommendations urging Americans to drink less for better health – but with no specific serving guidance.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said a congressional investigation had concluded that the study was “hopelessly flawed” and should not be considered in formulating dietary guidelines. The investigation was led by Republican James Comer of Kentucky – a state considered the birthplace of American bourbon.
“The dietary guidelines mention alcohol, but they imply you shouldn’t be drinking it for breakfast,” said Mehmet Oz, a well‑known physician and Trump administration administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He also noted that there had never been convincing evidence that moderate drinking for men was two servings a day and one for women.