A few months ago (August 2024), I asked whether “alcohol in moderation” would be eliminated from the 2025 dietary guidelines. My post was motivated by the increasing body of scientific literature suggesting that any amount of alcohol can have adverse health effects – contrary to the long-held notion that moderate drinking (1 or 2 drinks a day) was considered safe. Well, the 2025 guidelines are almost out and the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has taken a clear stance on what he thinks they should say: alcohol consumption causes cancer, and he wants labels placed on alcoholic beverages noting a heightened risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, and at least five other malignancies.

To add warning labels, Congress would have to act. And it will be interesting to see whether the incoming administration would support this change. While one might think it would not, President-elect Trump does not drink and his chosen Health and Human Services leader, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., regularly attends AA meetings and hasn't consumed alcohol or drugs for decades. Mr. Kennedy, in particular, is not afraid to advance controversial and unpopular causes in the name of public health. Thus, the belief that industry opposition on Capitol Hill would make labelling efforts a dead letter, may not be true.

The current alcohol label, which has not changed since 1988, warns about drinking while pregnant, driving and operating machinery, and general “health risks.” There are 47 nations that require warnings on alcoholic beverages but only South Korean has an optional label that warns about liver cancer. Ireland is slated to introduce labels in 2026 that say there is a “direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers.”

There is no dispute that excessive alcohol consumption leads to a myriad of health problems. But the ongoing debate is over whether there is a risk to low or moderate drinking. Industry-supported studies suggest a little alcohol each day may reduce cardiovascular disease and stress. Critics of those studies, including the World Health Organization and now Dr. Murthy, argue there is no safe limit for alcohol consumption.

What will the dietary guidelines say? Will there be a legislative push to put cancer labels on alcoholic beverages? I'll be keeping an eye on these issues in 2025.