US-backed study linked 1 drink a day to higher health risks
What's new: The paper said no level of alcohol showed a mortality benefit and urged clearer federal drinking advice.
A federally commissioned study released independently Tuesday found that even one alcoholic drink a day can raise health risks and that no level of drinking showed a protective effect on mortality. Published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, the research tied alcohol use to a higher risk of premature death and more than 200 diseases, including cancer and heart disease. The paper was meant to help inform updated US dietary guidelines, but the final guidance only advised people to drink less for better health. Robert Vincent, a former Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration alcohol policy official, wrote that the findings were sidelined after pushback from alcohol industry groups and House oversight Republicans. The Department of Health and Human Services rejected that claim.