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Drinking Alcohol Is Linked to Health Risks, Says Report

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 15, 2025.

By India Edwards HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 15, 2025 -- A new federal report warns that drinking alcohol could raise your risk of dying early.

The draft of the report released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services states that "in the United States, males and females have a 1 in 1000 risk of dying from alcohol use if they consume more than 7 drinks per week. This risk increases to 1 in 100 if they consume more than 9 drinks per week."

The purpose of the report was to generate evidence on weekly alcohol consumption thresholds to minimize health risks. While the draft summarizes the findings of its research, the report does not include specific recommendations on alcohol consumption.

Current U.S. guidelines recommend no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women, yet this new report suggests even those levels could be risky.

The report is one of two complementary filings on the relationship between alcohol and health that will help to inform the HHS and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as they co-develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030.

The report examined how alcohol contributes to certain diseases and injuries. Some of the findings include:

• Cancer: The new report found that even at one drink per day, men face a 51% increased risk of esophageal cancer and women face a 37% increased risk of liver cirrhosis compared to non-drinkers.

• Injury: Drinking three drinks per day raises the risk of unintentional injuries for both men and women by up to 68%, compared to those who consume less.

• Liver disease: Regular alcohol use significantly increases the risk of liver disease, especially for people with preexisting conditions like hepatitis C.

Although previous studies suggested drinking small amounts of alcohol might reduce the risk of certain strokes, the report found those benefits disappear with just two drinks per day.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines influence public health policies and food and drink labeling. Experts say these findings could lead to stricter alcohol recommendations in the future.

However, there is some opposition. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a group representing alcohol producers, called the report “biased” and said it relied on flawed methods.

“Today’s report is the product of a flawed, opaque and unprecedented process, rife with bias and conflicts of interest. Several members of the six-member ICCPUD panel have affiliations with international anti-alcohol advocacy groups, and the panel has worked closely with others connected with these advocates. Congress never authorized or appropriated money for the panel or its work, and numerous letters from Congress and industry have voiced serious concerns over the process,” the statement said.

In 2020, a recommendation to limit alcohol to one drink a day for all adults was rejected by the Trump administration.

Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and one of the authors of the report, noted that the report likely underestimates the dangers of alcohol because of limits in how studies can measure its long-term effects.

"Drinking at levels that many people have considered to be, quote, moderate, may in fact be moderately risky or may not be moderate in terms of the health risk," Naimi concluded.

Throught February 14, 2025, the HHS and USDA will hold a comment period for the public to submit written feedback on the reports.

These comments will help inform the agencies as they develop guidance on alcoholic beverages that will be included in the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Learn more about how to submit your input on DietaryGuidelines.gov.

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2025

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