Americans could soon be encouraged to limit their beers to two a week under new guidelines being developed by the federal government.
Two researchers who contributed to Canada’s controversial 2023 two-drink recommendation are secretly advising the United States on a new alcohol policy expected to be announced next year.
Dr. Tim Naimi and Dr. Kevin Shields are both listed as advisors on the scientific review committee that will inform the new 2026 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
The committee will analyze scientific research on the health effects of drinking and will submit its findings to the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD).
Republican and Democratic members of Congress have expressed concern that the commission is not impartial and its conclusions cannot be trusted, while critics say it is part of an “anti-alcohol campaign.” It is claimed that there is.
Three other advisers to the scientific review committee have publicly stated that there is no safe alcohol level, even though many health experts say the evidence is less certain.
Additionally, one of the ICCPUD project directors who helped appoint the committee previously worked as a lobbyist for the anti-alcohol movement and has previously posted about “challenging the alcohol industry.”
Every five years, the United States releases recommendations on what to eat and drink, covering dozens of foods, including added sugar, fiber, and alcohol.
Concerns have been raised that the US could move to a recommendation of just two alcoholic drinks per week (stock image)
The guidelines, last updated in 2020, recommended that American men should consume no more than two alcoholic drinks per day, and women should consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
For decades, research has suggested that there are some benefits to drinking alcohol in moderation, which were thought to be related to alcohol’s stress-relieving effects.
But in recent years, research has taken a different direction.
Numerous studies have since shown that drinking any amount of alcohol increases the risk of everything 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 study the health effects of alcohol consumption.
Their report is due to be published next week and will be used to advise new dietary guidelines.
In parallel with this effort, ICCPUD has established a separate subcommittee and scientific review board to also investigate the health effects of alcohol consumption.
The committee conducts scientific studies called meta-analyses, in which researchers analyze the results of previously published papers on alcohol consumption and its health effects to assess the risks of alcohol consumption. .
Their findings and the “best available science” will then be submitted to a subcommittee, which will use this study, along with other research, to develop its own guidelines for submission to new dietary guidelines. I will summarize the advice.
The results of these studies are expected to be published on or just before Christmas and New Year.
Pictured above are Dr. Tim Naimi (left) and Dr. Kevin Shields. Both were part of a Canadian report suggesting people should limit their alcohol intake to two drinks a week.
Both reports will be used to inform the 2026-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which are expected to be published by the end of next year.
The guidelines will eventually be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
These will be led by President Donald Trump’s appointments, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who could become HHS Secretary.
Both lifelong abstinent Donald Trump and former drug addict Robert F. Kennedy Jr. don’t drink alcohol.
Sources close to RFK JNR. They say they believe he supports the new guidelines, but want to know the evidence on which those recommendations are based.
DailyMail.com reported in August 2023 that the US is considering stricter alcohol guidelines.
At the time, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this was “completely false.”
ICCPUD’s alcohol research is overseen by Alicia Sparks, a project director associated with anti-alcohol movements such as the American Alcohol Policy Alliance, which aims to reduce alcohol consumption in the United States.
Three other scientists who had previously expressed opposition to alcohol consumption, Dr. Priscilla Martinez, Dr. Jürgen Rehm and Dr. Catherine Keyes, were also appointed to the panel.
Dr. Naimi, one of the advisors on the Canadian report who also advises the United States, said in an interview. Last year on PBS: “Alcohol is one of the leading causes of behavioral health problems and deaths, and it also contributes to several social and economic problems, from injuries and accidents to cancer and, in fact, heart and circulatory disease.” It also causes physical costs.
“So it causes a variety of health effects, and of course they have long been valued at high consumption levels, but also at lower levels.
He added: “The important thing to remember is that no matter what level of drinking you consume, cutting back is good for your health.”
More than 60 million Americans report binge drinking at least once a year, and Americans who drink alcohol say they consume about four alcoholic drinks a week on average. I am.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 75,000 cancers are linked to alcohol each year, including liver cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, and colon cancer.
According to the CDC, approximately 20,000 adults die from alcohol-related cancers each year.
Canada never adopted the two-drink-a-week policy recommended in the researchers’ report, continuing to recommend no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.
DailyMail.com has reached out to HHS and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which oversees ICCPUD, for comment.
SAMHSA officials told DailyMail.com that their study is “complementary” to NASEM’s efforts and will begin in early 2022.
They also said the study “does not make recommendations regarding alcohol consumption in adults” but would be “part of a larger body of research and data” used to inform new dietary guidelines.
