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Dr. Mehmet Oz, former talk show host and current administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr at a White House briefing on Wednesday and expanded on new federal guidelines that actually recommend alcohol consumption in moderation.
The Trump administration’s newly released 2025-2030 nutrition guide axed the long-standing guidance that Americans limit alcohol consumption to two drinks or fewer for men and one drink or fewer daily for women.
Calling alcohol a “social lubricant that brings people together,” Oz said that “they generally moved away” from that stated limit because “there was never really good data to support that quantity of alcohol consumption.”
“That data was probably primarily confused with broader data about social connectedness,” he added.
In the new guidelines, alcohol is briefly mentioned, with the USDA noting that people should “consume less alcohol for better overall health” and avoid alcohol if pregnant, taking certain medicines or have a family history of alcoholism.
The new guidance also does not mention that alcohol is a known carcinogen that can cause and increase the risk for several types of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.
On Wednesday, Oz made the case that booze can be used as a social outlet, which he suggested can have beneficial health effects.
“In the best-case scenario, I don’t think you should drink alcohol, but it does allow people an excuse to bond and socialize, and there’s probably nothing healthier than having a good time with friends in a safe way,” he said.
Oz’s comments came after a reporter asked him to “explain the science behind” the new language.
He cited the world’s “blue zones,” which include certain regions of the world, like parts of Greece and Japan, where people are thought to live significantly longer and healthier lives as an example of healthy alcohol consumption, adding that they consume “small amounts taken very judiciously and usually in a celebratory fashion.”
“So there is alcohol in these dietary guidelines, but the implication is don’t have it for breakfast,” he continued. “This should be something done in a small amount, hopefully in some kind of an event that may have alcohol added.”
Watch the White House briefing below. (Dr. Oz makes his remarks around the 30:54 mark).
English (US) ·