US Dietary Guidelines Preserve Long-Standing Guidance on Moderate Alcohol Consumption

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services released the 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans today, maintaining the long-standing guidance on alcohol consumption. The Guidelines recommend that “To help Americans move toward a healthy dietary pattern and minimize risks associated with drinking, adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink or to drink in moderation by limiting intakes to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed.”

The recommendations on moderate drinking in the 2020 Guidelines are based on the preponderance of scientific evidence available. The Guidelines also do not recommend that individuals who do not drink alcohol start drinking for any reason and that there are some people who should not drink, such as pregnant women.

The Guidelines, which are released jointly every five years by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, serve as the basis for nutrition policy in the United States.