The US Dietary Guidelines are expected to eliminate long-standing recommendations for adults to limit alcohol consumption to one or two drinks per day, according to three sources that could be a major victory for an industry threatened by scrutiny of the health benefits of alcohol, according to three sources that are familiar with the issue.
The updated dietary guidelines for Americans, which could be released as early as this month, are expected to include a simple statement encouraging Americans to drink moderately or limit alcohol intake due to related health risks, sources say.
The guidelines are still under development and subject to change, with two sources and a fourth individual saying they are familiar with the process.
This recommendation is currently recommended for women, which is widely seen as moderate levels, to limit drinking alcohol to one meal or less than two men per year.
Similar guidelines exist in countries such as the UK. This recommends limiting drinking to 14 units a week, but Canada has adopted a more cautious stance, warning that health risks begin to increase after two drinks a week.
Even moderate drinking is associated with health risks, such as high risk of breast cancer, but some studies have also found associations with potential health benefits, such as low risk of stroke.
The fourth source states that there is limited scientific evidence to recommend certain daily restrictions, and the goal is to ensure that guidelines only reflect the most robust evidence.
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New guidelines developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture are closely monitored internationally and have an impact on policies ranging from school lunch programs to medical advice. Neither department responded to requests for comment.
Known Teetotaler, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has emphasized that future guidelines will focus on Whole Foods, although largely silent on alcohol.
Some alcohol executives feared a move towards stricter recommendations on alcohol intake as authorities like the World Health Organization raised warnings about the health risks of alcohol.
Gen. Vivek Murthy, a former US surgeon, said alcohol consumption increased the risk of at least seven cancers and sought warning labels for alcoholic beverages.
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Players from major industries, including Diageo Dge.L and Anheuser-Busch Inbev Abi.br, have lobbyed lawmakers through the review process. Senate records show that each company spent lobbying on efforts related to the guidelines and various other issues, such as taxes and trade in 2024 and 2025. The companies declined to comment.
The new guidelines are set apart from suggesting that consumers will be restricted to a certain number of daily servings, according to three sources that asked not to name them in order to speak freely.
One said the new alcohol-related recommendations would probably be limited to one or two sentences. Another said existing numbers tied to moderate drinking could still appear in the longer appendix.
Industry representatives lobby lawmakers on guidelines and how to determine them, but some staff and researchers have advocated stricter restrictions.
Meanwhile, the report aimed at informing the guidelines has drawn various conclusions regarding the health effects of alcohol and the science behind it.
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The guidelines, reviewed every five years, recommend moderate drinking, and since 1990, have defined women as having fewer than one drink per day and two men.
Eva Greenthal, a senior policy scientist at the Center for Science, a nonprofit focused on nutrition, health and food safety, said the more common language expected in the guidelines is “funny enough to be ambiguous.”
Under these changes, she continued, the message that even moderate drinking could increase the risk of breast cancer, particularly breast cancer, is lost.
Two studies were created to inform the development of the guidelines. Initially, moderate drinking was associated with an increased risk of some cancers, but reduced the risk of dying from any cause and cardiovascular problems such as stroke.
We found that several other health effects were insufficient to draw conclusions.
Other reports have found, on the contrary, there is a risk of death from alcohol use, including an increased risk of seven cancers.
(Reporting by Emma Ramney in London and Jessica Dinapoli of New York, edited by Caroline Hammer and Louise Haven)