Updated Dietary Guidelines Offer Less Specific Guidance on Alcohol Use

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans that revise federal guidance on alcohol consumption. The guidelines remove specific daily drink limits and instead advise Americans to “consume less alcohol for better overall health.”

Previous federal guidelines included specific thresholds, recommending that adults 21 years and older consume no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. The new guidelines do not include numerical limits and no longer differentiate guidance by gender, despite research showing that men and women metabolize alcohol differently.

Major health authorities have consistently reported that alcohol consumption increases health risks over time, even at lower levels.

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