Alcohol Guidelines have changed: daily drink guidelines and standard drink measurements have been removed, however responsible consumption is still recommended.
By Michael Kaiser
The 2026–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) were finally released at a White House press conference on Wednesday, January 7. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the guidelines after a six-month delay.
It was widely expected that the DGAs would be released last July. They were then delayed until October and finally until January. The lengthy government shutdown last fall led to the second and more prolonged delay. The new version of the DGAs has been streamlined to ten pages, compared to more than 160 pages in the previous edition.
What’s changed
As always, the guidelines include recommendations related to alcohol consumption. The new guidelines recommend the following:
- Consume less alcohol for better overall health.
- People who should completely avoid alcohol include pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder or who are unable to control the amount they drink, and people taking medications or with medical conditions that can interact with alcohol.
- For those with a family history of alcoholism, be mindful of alcohol consumption and associated addictive behaviors.
This represents a change from the last few versions of the DGAs. Previously, the guidelines stated:
- Those who choose to drink alcoholic beverages should do so sensibly and in moderation (defined as up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men).
- Alcoholic beverages should not be consumed by some individuals, including those who cannot restrict their alcohol intake, women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, individuals taking medications that can interact with alcohol, and those with specific medical conditions.
- Alcoholic beverages should be avoided by individuals engaging in activities that require attention, skill or coordination, such as driving or operating machinery.
The DGAs also defined one alcoholic drink as:
- 12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol content;
- 5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol content; or
- 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor with 40% alcohol content.
Based on sound science
WineAmerica worked for many years to ensure that the DGAs were unbiased and based on sound science. The alcohol recommendations were derived from the Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health, published late last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
NASEM’s findings suggested that “with moderate certainty…compared with never consuming alcohol, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality.” It clarified that “all-cause mortality refers to the total number of deaths in a population due to any cause.” The NASEM study also stated “with moderate certainty” that moderate alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women.
Regardless of the changes to the recommendations, the overall tone remains the same: if you choose to consume alcohol, do so in moderation, and recognize that some individuals should not consume alcohol at all. WineAmerica supports responsible consumption, and the inclusion of alcohol consumption recommendations lets wineries promote the responsible enjoyment of their products.
As a reminder, wineries are not allowed to make any health-related statements in any form of advertising.
Supplementary links
The 2026-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:
Dietary Guidelines For Americans
The report on the scientific foundation for the DGAs:
The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans
The 400 page appendix for the DGAs:
The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans Appendices
The House Oversight Committee Report on potential bias in the alcohol intake and health study (AIH) conducted by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD):
Joint statement from the Science Over Bias Coalition (of which WineAmerica is a member of):
Coalition Statement on Alcohol Guidance in the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Michael Kaiser
Michael Kaiser is executive vice president and director of government affairs at WineAmerica, which represents wineries and associations from more than 40 states. For more information about WineAmerica and how to get involved, visit www.wineamerica.org.
