The Trump administration reignited a debate about alcohol this month by removing daily recommended limits in the national Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Now, women are no longer advised to limit intake to one drink per day and men to two. Instead, the updated guidelines simply state that people could “consume less alcohol for better overall health.”
The change leaves many people wondering how much is too much and what alcohol means for their health. It also invites a closer look at where evidence is strong and where uncertainty remains.
The science is clear that binge drinking is dangerous. Defined as consuming four or more drinks on a single occasion for women and five or more for men, the behavior is strongly associated with car crashes, falls and other serious injuries. Drinking large amounts of alcohol over a short period also overwhelms the body’s ability to metabolize it, increasing the risk of heart rhythm disturbances, acute pancreatitis and alcohol poisoning.
In 2024, nearly 58 million people reported binge drinking in the past month. The message to them is straightforward: This level of alcohol consumption carries real risks and should be reduced.
The same is true for people who drink heavily on a regular basis. The American Heart Association defines heavy drinking as four or more drinks per day, or binge drinking on five or more days in the past month. At these levels, alcohol use increases the risk of nearly every cardiovascular condition, from hypertension and heart rhythm disturbances to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.
Meanwhile, studies have found that about 90 percent of women who consume two or more drinks per day and men who consume three or more show signs of alcohol-associated liver disease. Excessive alcohol use is also firmly linked to higher risks of at least six types of cancer, long-term brain damage and premature death.
The science is also unequivocal that alcohol is an addictive substance that can profoundly disrupt lives. Nearly 28 million people meet criteria for alcohol use disorder, meaning they cannot control their drinking and may experience physical symptoms such as nausea, tremors or agitation when they try to stop. This disease is also associated with serious impairments in work, family and social functioning, often affecting not only the individual but those around them.
What is far less settled is whether low levels of alcohol consumption pose health risks for people who can moderate their intake. On one side of the debate, the World Health Organization states that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health.” Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory last year warning that even small amounts of alcohol may increase cancer risk.
Other medical groups have taken a more nuanced view. A 2024 congressionally-commissioned report by a panel at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicinefound that women who drink moderately have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than those who never drink. At the same time, the report concluded that, compared with abstaining entirely, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower overall mortality, a finding thought to be driven by fewer cardiovascular deaths.
The analysis drew significant criticism, including concerns about industry ties among some panel members. Subsequently, a June AHA study reached a similar conclusion as the NASEM review: While heavy drinking is clearly linked to heart disease, the study found that consuming no more than one to two drinks per day does not increase cardiovascular risk and may modestly reduce it.
To be clear, no major medical society is telling people who don’t drink to start, or that those who drink rarely should do so more often. Individual circumstances matter. Alcohol can make it harder to lose weight or control blood pressure, and people struggling with either should factor that into their decisions. Those with liver disease or a history of alcohol use disorder may need to avoid alcohol altogether. For many adults, though, the evidence suggests that small amounts of alcohol fall within acceptable levels of risk.
Which, in fact, is largely what previous dietary guidelines already said. Removing clear recommendations in favor of vague statements does not resolve uncertainty. What’s needed is evidence-based guidance that helps people make informed choices appropriate to their own circumstances, which includes whether and how alcohol fits into their lives.
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