"Trump's Dietary Guidelines Take a Shocking Detour from Science"
The US government has made a puzzling change in its new dietary guidelines, removing specific limits on alcohol consumption and instead urging Americans to simply "consume less". But the truth is that there was always solid data supporting a more concrete approach.
Critics point out that Dr. Mehmet Oz, who oversees Medicare and Medicaid programs, claimed that no scientific evidence supported specific limits on drinking. "In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol," he said, but then allowed for people to justify their love of booze by saying it allows them to bond and socialize.
However, this argument ignores the fact that a growing body of research shows that no amount of drinking is actually safe. In 2023, the World Health Organization declared that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, and the US sees over 170,000 deaths every year from booze-related causes.
The truth is that there was a government-funded study on alcohol's health effects that found that reducing consumption dramatically reduces the chance of dying due to booze. But the Trump administration shelved this report and instead handed a victory to the alcohol industry.
This is no small thing – it's a betrayal of public trust. The US Alcohol Policy Alliance president Mike Marshall summed up the outrage when he said "Dr. Oz must have thrown back a few cocktails for breakfast before making that comment."
What exactly did the study find? It broke out its findings by drinking levels, from one drink per day to three, and focused on health outcomes associated with booze use. The big-picture conclusion was clear: among the US population, negative health effects start at low levels of consumption and begin to increase sharply with more drinking.
It's no wonder that many are outraged – the limits on alcohol consumption in the new guidelines are whatever you want them to be. But for those who care about public health, this is a deeply disturbing development.
The US government has made a puzzling change in its new dietary guidelines, removing specific limits on alcohol consumption and instead urging Americans to simply "consume less". But the truth is that there was always solid data supporting a more concrete approach.
Critics point out that Dr. Mehmet Oz, who oversees Medicare and Medicaid programs, claimed that no scientific evidence supported specific limits on drinking. "In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol," he said, but then allowed for people to justify their love of booze by saying it allows them to bond and socialize.
However, this argument ignores the fact that a growing body of research shows that no amount of drinking is actually safe. In 2023, the World Health Organization declared that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, and the US sees over 170,000 deaths every year from booze-related causes.
The truth is that there was a government-funded study on alcohol's health effects that found that reducing consumption dramatically reduces the chance of dying due to booze. But the Trump administration shelved this report and instead handed a victory to the alcohol industry.
This is no small thing – it's a betrayal of public trust. The US Alcohol Policy Alliance president Mike Marshall summed up the outrage when he said "Dr. Oz must have thrown back a few cocktails for breakfast before making that comment."
What exactly did the study find? It broke out its findings by drinking levels, from one drink per day to three, and focused on health outcomes associated with booze use. The big-picture conclusion was clear: among the US population, negative health effects start at low levels of consumption and begin to increase sharply with more drinking.
It's no wonder that many are outraged – the limits on alcohol consumption in the new guidelines are whatever you want them to be. But for those who care about public health, this is a deeply disturbing development.
. what's up with the guidelines, though? it's crazy how much influence money can have on policy decisions 
. and can we talk about something else for a sec? did you know that some people collect antique teapots? I saw this super cool vintage tea set on eBay last week, and I'm totally obsessed now 
I'm so worried about where our country is headed right now... The fact that they removed specific limits on alcohol consumption and just told people to "consume less" is mind-boggling to me 
. Like, what does that even mean? Does it mean we can drink as much as we want and still be fine? That's not how science works, folks! 
The data is clear: no amount of drinking is safe, and the US has some serious health problems to deal with due to booze-related causes 
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. I mean, come on, he's supposed to be a doctor, not an ad man for the alcohol industry! 
The fact that they shelved a government-funded study on the health effects of booze and just went with what the industry wanted is just unacceptable 
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. This new guideline is a betrayal of public trust, plain and simple 
.
anywayz, i heard that study w/ dr oz & the gov funded report was all about how low amounts of booze still kill u. it's crazy cuz we gotta keep public health in mind but this feels like a total sellout to the booze industry 
. Public trust is getting seriously broken here...
[GIF of a graph showing a sharp increase in deaths from booze-related causes]
️ [GIF of an arrow pointing to a red circle with a line through it, symbolizing the shelving of the study report]
[GIF of a person looking shocked and holding a book with a title that says "Betrayal of Public Trust"]
[GIF of a broken heart with a beer glass in the background, symbolizing the pain caused by the new guidelines]
[GIF of a police officer holding up a stop sign and giving a thumbs down to Dr. Oz]
We need concrete limits, not wishy-washy guidelines that let the booze industry run wild.
...
not buying it 
we know there's no safe level of drinking. I mean, the WHO said so in 2023 and we still see over 170k deaths per year from booze