The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases has released a statement voicing “deep concern” over new 2025-2030 dietary guidelines that remove specific guidance on alcohol consumption.
The AASLD noted that previous dietary guidelines provided “clear daily limits for alcohol consumption based on available evidence. In contrast, the 2025–2030 guidelines do not establish any daily limits and do not account for biological differences in alcohol metabolism between men and women.”
The guidelines, issued jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture Jan. 7, represent a significant departure from previous policy, which recommended that men limit alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks daily, and women, to no more than one drink daily. The new guidelines include the broad advice to “consume less alcohol for better overall health,” and points to several groups that should completely avoid alcohol: pregnant women, those with a history of alcohol use disorder or who are unable to control the amount they drink, and those with a medical condition that can “interact with” alcohol. Those with a family history of alcoholism should “be mindful of alcohol consumption and associated addictive behaviors,” according to the new guidelines.
“Clear, evidence-based guidance on alcohol consumption is essential to protecting public and lifelong liver health,” said AASLD president Saul Karpen, MD, PhD, the chief scientific officer at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, in Richmond.
“Alcohol remains a leading cause of preventable liver disease, contributes to cancer, and leads to other serious health outcomes. The 2025–2030 guidelines not only eliminate daily alcohol consumption limits but also fail to incorporate these advances in scientific understanding. Removing specific recommendations does not empower individuals. Instead, this creates uncertainty at a time when the science is clearer than ever.”
Dr. Karpen also expressed concern that the guidelines do not address the established link between alcohol and cancer, despite a 2025 Surgeon General’s Advisory identifying alcohol as a leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
AASLD urged the administration to “revisit its guidance on alcohol and restore clear, evidence-based recommendations so individuals have the tools they need to make informed decisions about alcohol and its impact on their overall health.”
—GEN Staff
