Are President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. burying information that highlights a link between drinking alcohol and developing cancer? That accusation is arising as researchers associated with the study complain of the decision not to publicize their results, and the Trump administration is being criticized for a double standard when it comes to the alcohol industry.
Trump administration allegedly buries study linking alcohol to cancer
A report published by Vox examines the decision by the Trump administration not to publish the final version of the Alcohol Intake and Health Study. The study was commissioned by the Biden administration in 2022 under the auspices of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, with representation from a variety of agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But three of the study’s co-authors informed Vox that they were told in August that the final version of their report would not be published. The study reportedly shows evidence of links between alcohol consumption and various risks of death, including cancer.
Vox frames the decision to bury the Alcohol Intake and Health Study as coming after a years-long effort by the alcohol industry to suppress negative information about the health effects of drinking. “Like the tobacco industry, like the opioid industry, they are working hard to prevent the American people from gaining the knowledge that they need to make the best decisions for themselves,” Mike Marshall, head of the organization Alcohol Policy Alliance, told Vox. According to a Gallup survey, alcohol consumption in the United States is the lowest it’s been in nearly 90 years, in part due to health concerns. As less than half of Americans are aware of the link between alcohol and cancer, increased awareness of alcohol as a carcinogen could drive drinking rates down even more.
Growing criticism of the administration’s public health policies
While both Trump and Kennedy have publicly shared that they do not drink, the Trump administration has been seen as soft on alcohol policy. For instance, a Reuters report in June indicated that the administration was planning on altering dietary guidelines concerning alcohol consumption by removing language that specifically recommended people limit themselves to one or two drinks per day. Some studies have linked moderate drinking to potential benefits like lowering the risk of stroke, and one source familiar with the policy change argued that the scientific data did not warrant a specific per-day drink limit. However, other experts point to the negative health effects of alcohol consumption, including cancer risks, and warn that relaxing the language of the alcohol guidelines could be dangerous.
Since Trump appointed Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the secretary’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign has been criticized for pushing dangerous pseudoscience on issues like vaccination while undermining public health agencies like the CDC. Additionally, Kennedy and the Trump administration have also been accused of selectively focusing on some health issues while ignoring or even covering up others, with private companies benefiting at the cost of public health and safety. Criticism for Kennedy has grown, with some Democrats calling on Trump to fire him and even some Republicans beginning to publicly critique the secretary’s performance.
The reports that the White House is suppressing negative information about alcohol consumption come amid various public health challenges and counterproductive or even dangerous policies coming from the administration. The indications that Trump and Kennedy are burying negative information about alcohol add to the evidence that their Make America Healthy Again agenda is flawed and potentially dangerous.
