Biden-Commissioned Alcohol Study Released Independently After Trump Administration Excluded It From Dietary Guidelines
A federally commissioned study on alcohol and health risks was published Tuesday in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs after the Trump administration declined to feature its findings in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The study, commissioned under the Biden administration, found that health risks begin with just one drink per day and that no level of alcohol consumption offers a protective effect on mortality. Its independent publication highlights a broader conflict between scientific research and policy under the Trump administration, with the lead official alleging he was asked to suppress the study.
The Alcohol Intake and Health Study, commissioned in 2022 under the Biden administration to inform updated U.S. dietary guidelines, was published Tuesday in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs after the Trump administration chose not to incorporate its findings into the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines released in January. The study, conducted by an international team of American, Canadian, and British scientists who reviewed more than 7,200 studies, found that health risks escalate starting at approximately one drink per day, that even moderate drinking raises the risk of premature death and more than 200 diseases including cancers and heart disease, and that no level of alcohol consumption provides a net protective effect on mortality. The current dietary guidelines advise Americans only to 'consume less alcohol for better overall health,' which the study's authors say lacks the quantitative specificity needed for informed decision-making; they recommend a firm limit of no more than one drink per day. Robert Vincent, the former SAMHSA official who led the study effort, alleged in an accompanying editorial that the Trump administration 'sidelined' the research under pressure from the alcohol industry and a congressional committee, and told the Associated Press he was 'asked to kill the study' while serving in the administration — a claim HHS did not immediately address. HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard denied the study was ignored, stating the guidelines were 'informed by the totality of the scientific record, not any single report or analysis.' The study diverged from a separate government-commissioned National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine review that found moderate drinking was associated with reduced all-cause mortality, though the new study's authors note they specifically measured alcohol-attributable mortality to avoid confounding factors. Vincent was laid off in April 2025 as part of a government reduction in force, and the House Oversight Committee called the study 'fraught with bias,' while the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States called it 'irretrievably flawed.'
What's missing
The specific methodology and criteria used by the separate NASEM study that reached a softer conclusion on moderate drinking and all-cause mortality are not detailed in the sources, making it difficult for readers to assess why the two government-commissioned reviews diverged so significantly.
How coverage differed
Left-leaning outlets such as The Independent and Scientific American emphasized the political suppression angle prominently, framing the story around the Trump administration's alleged interference with science and commercial interests overriding public health. The Washington Times and Fox News covered the same core findings but gave comparatively more weight to industry and government rebuttals, with Fox News foregrounding the study's observational limitations and a medical commentator's caution that it 'cannot prove direct cause and effect.'
What different sources said
- FortuneCenter
A Biden-era study told Americans to drink less alcohol. The Trump admin ‘sidelined’ the research facing pressure from the alcohol lobby
- The IndependentLeft
Study that was sidelined by Trump administration tells Americans to limit themselves to one drink per day
- Mexico Business NewsCenter
Ebola Outbreak Reignites Global Health Security Debate
- The Straits TimesCenter
Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads to new health zones
- Washington TimesRight
Did the Trump administration suppress a Biden alcohol study? The lead researcher says yes
- New York PostRight
Americans voices concerns over tap water safety: survey
- Money Talks NewsCenter
A Federal Study Linked Light Drinking to Cancer and Early Death. The Latest Guidelines Left It Out.
Health Risks of Alcohol Accelerate After One Drink a Day, Study Finds
- Yahoo FinanceCenter
What a study at odds with Trump officials’ health guidance found on alcohol limits
- NBC NewsLeft
Adults should have no more than one drink a day, a team of scientists says
- PBS NewsHourLeft
New study recommends 1 alcoholic drink per day. Its researchers want clearer U.S. guidelines on drinking
- STAT NewsCenter
STAT+: What’s changed since the last major Ebola outbreak
- EuronewsCenter
People to drink less booze, but only for the next five years
- SlateCenter
There’s a Terrible Reason Why This Ebola Outbreak Is Different
- Times of IndiaCenter
Congo's Ebola outbreak spreads to new health zones
- Scientific AmericanCenter
Former U.S. health official explains why the Trump administration ‘ignored’ a key alcohol study
- ReutersCenter
Congo's Ebola outbreak spreads to new health zones
- Arab NewsCenter
Ebola spreading into new areas in northeast DR Congo, WHO says
- XinhuaCenter
Africa CDC commends cooperation with China in fight against Ebola outbreak amid rising cases
- Fox NewsRight
Nightly glass of wine may not be as harmless as many people think, study suggests
- Channel NewsAsiaCenter
Ebola spreading into new areas in northeast DR Congo: WHO
- UN NewsCenter
DR Congo: Ebola spreads as agencies brace for child victims
- SemaforCenter
How AI is helping fight the latest Ebola outbreak
- Al JazeeraLeft
Alarm as Ebola spreads into new areas of DR Congo
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