I'll drink to this:
After years of Americans being told to limit alcoholic beverages to 1 or 2 drinks a day, Reuters says Health and Human Services and the USDA are about to lift that recommended restriction and replace it with the more ambiguous "moderate intake" suggestion.
They say there's simply not any evidence to support the 1-2 drinks number.
The updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which could be released as early as this month, are expected to include a brief statement encouraging Americans to drink in moderation or limit alcohol intake due to associated health risks, the sources said ...
The fourth source said that the scientific basis for recommending specific daily limits is limited, and the goal is to ensure the guidelines reflect only the most robust evidence.
The reactions online range from:
To:
This comes as welcome news to the alcohol industry, which was afraid that more strict recommendations would add to the trend of younger generations abandoning alcohol altogether.
Some alcohol executives had feared a move towards tighter recommendations on alcohol intake as authorities like the World Health Organization upped their warnings about alcohol's health risks...
Here's a chart about the kiddos:
The shift in federal policy is a significant departure from the Biden administration, where Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recommended printing warning labels on alcohol like they do on cigarettes. 👇
Interestingly enough, Robert F. Kennedy doesn't touch alcohol, but his leadership doesn't seem to be anti-alcohol.
While industry representatives have lobbied lawmakers on the guidelines or how they should be decided, some officials and researchers advocated for tighter restrictions.
Reports intended to inform the guidelines have meanwhile drawn different conclusions about alcohol's health effects and the science around this.
Anyway, I'll leave the Baptists to argue in the comments!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
