Americans could soon be urged to drink no more than two bottles of beer a week under new guidelines being developed by the federal government.
Two researchers who contributed to Canada’s controversial two-drink recommendation in 2023 have been quietly advising the United States on its new alcohol policies due to be unveiled next year.
Dr. Tim Naimi and Dr. Kevin Shields are listed as advisors on a scientific review panel that will inform the new 2026 US dietary guidelines.
The panel will analyze scientific studies on the effects of alcohol consumption on health and present its conclusions to the Interinstitutional Coordination Committee for the Prevention of Alcohol Consumption in Minors (ICCPUD).
Republican and Democratic members of Congress have expressed concern that the panel is not impartial and that its conclusions may not be reliable, while critics say it is part of the “anti-alcohol movement.”
Three other advisers on the scientific review panel have publicly stated that there is no safe level of alcohol, even though many health experts say the evidence is less certain.
And one of the ICCPUD project directors who helped appoint the panel used to work for anti-alcohol lobbyists and had previously posted messages about “taking on the alcohol industry.”
Every five years, the United States publishes recommendations on what to eat or drink that cover dozens of foods, including added sugar, fiber and alcohol.
Concerns are emerging that the United States could move to recommending only two alcoholic drinks a week (file image)
Last updated in 2020, the guidelines recommended that American men consume no more than two alcoholic drinks per day and women consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
For decades, studies suggested that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol had certain benefits, which were thought to be related to its de-stressing effects.
But in recent years, research has gone in the opposite direction.
Since then, many studies have shown that consuming alcohol in any amount increases the risk of all types of diseases, from cancer to heart disease, liver disease, and high blood pressure.
In December 2022, Congress appropriated $1.3 million to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to research the health effects of alcohol consumption.
Their report will be published next week and will be used to advise on the new dietary guidelines.
In parallel to this work, ICCPUD has created an independent subcommittee and scientific review panel to also investigate the health effects of alcohol consumption.
The panel is conducting scientific studies called meta-analyses, where researchers analyze the results of already published articles on alcohol consumption and health effects, to evaluate the risks of alcohol consumption.
Their findings, and the “best available science,” will then be presented to the subcommittee, which will use this research along with other studies to compile its own set of guidelines and advice to submit to the new dietary guidelines.
The results of these studies are expected to be published around or just before the Christmas Day and New Year period.
Pictured above are Dr. Tim Naimi, left, and Dr. Kevin Shields, who participated in the Canadian report that suggested people should limit their alcohol consumption to two drinks per week.
Both reports will be used to inform the 2026 to 2030 U.S. dietary guidelines, which are expected to be released late next year.
The guidelines will eventually be approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
These will be headed by Donald Trump, appointments that could include Robert F. Kennedy Junior as head of HHS.
Both Donald Trump, a lifelong teetotaler, and Robert F. Kennedy Junior, a former addict, do not drink alcohol.
Sources close to RFK Jnr. They say they believe it would support the new guidelines, but would like to see the evidence on which the recommendation is based.
DailyMail.com reported in August 2023 that the United States was considering much stricter alcohol guidelines.
At the time, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was “absolutely false.”
The ICCPUD alcohol study is overseen by Alicia Sparks, director of the project who has links to anti-alcohol campaigns, including the US Alcohol Policy Alliance, which aims to reduce alcohol consumption in the United States.
Three other scientists who have previously spoken out against alcohol consumption have also been named to the panel: Dr. Priscilla Martínez, Dr. Jurgen Rehm and Dr. Katherine Keyes.
Dr. Naimi, one of Canada’s report advisers who also advises the United States, said in an interview with PBS last year: ‘Alcohol is a leading cause of health problems and behaviour-related deaths, and also some social problems and economic costs, ranging from injuries and accidents to cancers and indeed heart and cardiovascular disease.
‘Therefore, it causes a wide range of health effects. And of course, these have long been appreciated at high levels of consumption, but also at some lower levels.
He added: “The most important point to keep in mind is that no matter how much you drink, consuming less will be good for your health.”
More than 60 million Americans report binge drinking at least once a year, and on average, Americans who drink alcohol report consuming about four alcoholic drinks per week.
The National Cancer Institute says it is estimated that about 75,000 cancer cases are related to alcohol each year, including cancers of the liver, head and neck, esophagus and colon.
The CDC says about 20,000 adults die each year from alcohol-related cancers.
Canada never adopted the two-drinks-per-week policy recommended in a report by its researchers, and continues to recommend no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.
DailyMail.com contacted HHS and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which oversees ICCPUD, for comment.
A SAMHSA official told DailyMail.com that their study was “complementary” to NASEM’s work and began in early 2022.
They also said the study “would not make recommendations on alcohol consumption among adults” but would be “one part of a larger set of research and data” that would be used to inform new dietary guidelines.