The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has published its Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health. This is one of two complementary reports on the relationship between alcohol and health that, together, will serve as key resources for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as they co-develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030.
As directed by Congress in the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, USDA contracted NASEM to conduct a series of systematic reviews of the scientific evidence on alcohol consumption and health. The report describes the findings of those reviews; it does not include recommendations. These findings will help inform HHS and USDA in developing guidance on alcoholic beverages and health in the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines, expected to publish in late 2025.
In the coming weeks, an HHS Committee, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), will publish a report on alcohol and health. ICCPUD supported an independent scientific review panel that conducted a distinct but complementary evidence review on alcohol and health beginning in early 2022. ICCPUD’s forthcoming report will summarize the findings of that review.
In January, HHS and USDA will open a comment period for the public to summit written feedback to the departments on the reports. These comments, along with the reports and other federal agency input, will help inform HHS and USDA as they develop guidance on alcoholic beverages that will be included in the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines.
Learn more about:
- The Dietary Guidelines development process
- The Scientific Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
- How to Comment on the Scientific Report
- Related projects on alcoholic beverages and health
Learn more about the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and its work at DietaryGuidelines.gov. Interested in staying up to date on next steps in the process that HHS and USDA will use to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030? Sign up to receive regular updates via email.
