The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) expresses deep concern over the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), released jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which remove specific, evidence-based guidance on alcohol consumption.
The updated guidelines advise individuals to consume less alcohol for better overall health, but do not establish clear daily limits or account for well-documented biological differences in alcohol metabolism between men and women. Previous editions of the DGA included specific, sex-based recommendations grounded in scientific evidence to help individuals make informed health decisions.
“Clear, evidence-based guidance on alcohol consumption is essential to protecting public and lifelong liver health,” said Saul Karpen, MD, PhD, FAASLD, President of AASLD. “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.”
AASLD is also concerned that the updated guidelines do not address the established link between alcohol and cancer. Twenty-five years ago, the DGA first warned of alcohol’s association with increased breast cancer risk. Subsequent research has demonstrated links between alcohol use and at least seven types of cancer. The 2025 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk identified alcohol as a leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, contributing to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and approximately 20,000 cancer deaths each year.
“As the leading hepatology association, we have a responsibility to communicate alcohol-use risk clearly and accurately,” Karpen added. “AASLD will continue to advocate for evidence-based guidance that empowers individuals in the U.S. and across the world to make informed decisions about alcohol and their health.”
AASLD urges the administration to revisit its guidance on alcohol and restore clear, evidence-based recommendations that provide individuals with the tools they need to make informed choices about their health.