WASHINGTON — Even one alcoholic drink per day may increase the risk of cancer, disease and premature death, according to a new large-scale study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
The report, commissioned during President Biden’s administration but unreleased under President Trump, found that no level of alcohol consumption provides a protective health benefit. Researchers say even moderate drinking raises the risk of more than 200 conditions, including heart disease and cancer.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence showing health risks increase with alcohol use, even at levels often considered low or moderate. Researchers say the results support stricter U.S. guidelines, recommending no more than one drink per day for both men and women.
“This study provides the most comprehensive U.S. estimates to date of lifetime risks of alcohol-attributable mortality and morbidity,” co-author Katherine Keyes said in a news release. “Even moderate levels of consumption increase the risk of premature death and disability.”
The study was one of two federal reviews intended to inform the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Those guidelines, released earlier this year, advise Americans to consume “less alcohol for better overall health,” but do not include specific risk thresholds.
Authors of the newly published study say the guidelines fall short of clearly communicating the risks associated with alcohol use.
In an accompanying editorial, Robert Vincent, a former Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration official who led the research effort, accused the Trump administration of sidelining the findings — an allegation federal officials deny.
Vincent said the study faced mounting opposition as it moved through the federal review process, including criticism from industry groups and policymakers. He also pointed to a 2025 reduction in force that eliminated or reassigned many federal staff involved in alcohol policy work.
“I never expected that doing my job—carefully, transparently, and in accordance with federal law—would end my federal service. Yet that is precisely what happened. After nearly four decades as a public servant, I was separated from federal employment as part of a targeted reduction in force that dismantled much of the federal infrastructure for alcohol prevention and treatment policy. Career scientists, analysts, and policy professionals were similarly removed or reassigned. The timing and scope of that reduction in force mattered. It followed sustained opposition to a federally authorized scientific effort that produced evidence at odds with powerful commercial interests,” Vincent wrote.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services disputed the claims, saying the study was reviewed alongside other scientific evidence.
Vincent told The Associated Press that researchers were thoroughly vetted for conflicts of interest and that the findings are scientifically sound. He said that during the Trump administration, he was “asked to kill the study” but declined to do so.
Alcohol remains the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States. About 1 in 10 Americans age 12 and older struggle with an alcohol use disorder, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
