US health department drops daily alcohol limits
In its new five-year dietary guidance report, the US Department of Health has removed recommendations that Americans limit alcohol consumption to two drinks a day.
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 report, published yesterday (7 January), provides scant information on alcohol consumption.
It advises Americans to “consume less alcohol for better overall health”, but does not provide quantitative limits. It adds that pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol-use disorder, and those taking medications that can interact with alcohol should completely avoid drinking.
It also reads: “For those with a family history of alcoholism, be mindful of alcohol consumption and associated addictive behaviours.”
The previous report, for 2020-2025, suggested that adults of legal drinking age should limit intakes to two drinks or less a day for men and one or less for women. It defined one alcoholic drink as containing 14 grams of pure alcohol, equal to around 44ml of 40% ABV spirits.
At a press briefing following the publication of the new report, Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, responded to a question about the scrapping of the guidance. He said: “Alcohol is a social lubricant that brings people together. In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialise, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way.
“If you look at the blue zones, for example, around the world where people live the longest, alcohol is sometimes part of their diet – again, small amounts, taken very judiciously and usually in a celebratory fashion.
“There is alcohol in these dietary guidelines, but the implication is don’t have it for breakfast. This should be something done a small amount, with hopefully some kind of an event that may have alcohol added.
“But the general move away from two glasses for men, one glass for women – there was never really good data to support that quantity of alcohol consumption. That data was probably primarily confused with broader data about social connectedness.”
A Gallup poll conducted last year found that only 54% of US adults say they consume alcohol, the lowest figure in nearly 90 years.
The report followed a recommendation from the US surgeon general at the time, Dr Vivek Murthy, that a cancer warning be added to all alcohol labels.
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