After all, alcohol is not healthy. Will new dietary guidelines reflect that?

IIn 1995, when Marion Nestle served on the committee that drafted the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, things were approached differently. She and other experts have handled it all: deciding on nutrition-related research questions, gathering the evidence, issuing a scientific report and writing guidelines on how Americans should eat.

When it came time for that last part – the writing – Nestle and two co-authors gathered at a bar, ordered glasses of wine and got to work. “I’m not kidding,” she said. At the time, the study suggested that small amounts of alcohol reduced the risk of heart disease. The guidelines reflected that. “Alcoholic beverages have been used by many societies throughout human history to enhance the enjoyment of meals,” read part of the 1995 document (a note that Nestle says was added at the last minute by a federal official who believed in the benefits of wine).

The issue of alcohol – and how much of it Americans should consume – is once again up for debate as the Dietary Guidelines undergo updates and revisions in 2025. There is already a simmering debate about a growing number of studies, plus clashing interests and the same specter of controversy that has followed the report since the days of Nestlé.