If you're pouring more than one drink a day, new research says you're rolling bigger dice than you may realize. An international team of scientists reporting in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs argues that US adults should cap alcohol at one drink daily—regardless of sex—putting them at odds with past federal advice that allowed two for men, reports NBC News. Reviewing 56 major studies and US mortality data, the researchers found that risk climbs quickly: More than about seven drinks a week pushes lifetime odds of an alcohol-related death above 1 in 1,000; above 8.5 drinks a week, that risk exceeds 1 in 100; and at roughly two drinks a day, it hits 1 in 25.
The team says alcohol raises the risk of death from multiple cancers, liver disease, and injuries, while modestly lowering some heart and stroke risks—benefits they say are wiped out by occasional heavy drinking. STAT News notes that the results of the research, which was commissioned by the federal government in 2023 under President Biden, went unreleased by the Trump administration, so the scientists took their work to the journal for publication.
"Some authors of the study, who work outside the US government, say their findings were politicized and suppressed because they are unfavorable to powerful special interests, including the beer, wine, and liquor lobbies," the outlet notes. A Health and Human Services spokesperson stresses in a statement cited by NBC that US dietary guidelines—which currently say only that adults should "consume less alcohol for better overall health"—reflect the "totality" of science, not any single study on its own. Outside experts say one takeaway is clear: The idea that a daily drink is good for you is "a myth."
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