Are We Being Mislead?

Minimizing Negative Outcomes

Executives from the alcohol industry promote and fund research showing beneficial aspects of moderate alcohol consumption.¹⁻³  A similar technique was utilized by the tobacco industry to improve public perceptions and influence public policy measures.²  The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), is a group of thirteen leading alcohol producers who influence public policy by aligning themselves with the World Health Organization (WHO).  Five of these companies also contributed millions of dollars to a now defunct international research study.³⁻⁵

In June 2018, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or the medical research division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, discontinued a research study called the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial.⁵  The study stopped after The New York Times revealed members of the NIH actively courted alcohol industry executives for funding and directly violated boundaries they claimed to have with the industry.⁶  The intent of the trial was to show how moderate alcohol use, defined by the study as approximately one glass of alcohol per day, could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and overall mortality more than abstention.⁷ 

In 2013 and 2014, members of the NIH presented their proposed study to the Distilled Spirits Council and other industry leaders at alcohol conventions, securing $67.7 million of their needed $100 million of funding.⁶  The five largest contributors were Anheuser-Busch, Carlsberg, Diageo, Heineken, and Pernod Ricard, who are all members of the IARD.⁴,⁶  When seeking approval for the study, researchers from the NIH disclosed their funding came from the “brewing and distilling industries” but they ensured an “intellectual and financial firewall” was put in place.  The alcohol industry was to have no contact with the trial investigators, nor receive any updates on the trial progress.⁸ In 2018, this was found to not be the case, with members of the NIH communicating regularly with executives from the alcohol industry and allowing them to assist with the study design to minimize the negative outcomes.⁵  There was additional money exchange occurring outside of the $67.7 million dollars.  For example, one of the research locations was Harvard University, who received $3.3 million from the alcohol industry, as well as $150,000 in scholarship funds.⁶

Prior to the study, NIH researchers knew alcohol use increased the risk of heart failure and cancer.  The proposal for the study states the more alcohol consumed the higher the risk of many cancers, especially breast, oropharyngeal, and esophageal cancer.  They also state any amount of alcohol use can lead to heart failure and can potentially “lead to subsequent alcohol abuse.”⁸ 

How Did NIH Researchers Avoid Potential Negative Health Outcomes of Alcohol Use? 

The researchers planned to follow study participants for a period of 4.5-7.5 years (with an average of six years) so participants did not have time to develop cancer or heart failure over the course of the study.⁸,⁹ They also excluded anyone with a history of colon, liver, or breast cancer (or had a mom or a sister with breast cancer), or any individual who had less than three years life expectancy from another cancer diagnosis. It also excluded anyone with a history of heart failure, cardiovascular disease (within the last six months), a history of alcohol or substance abuse, liver disease, or anyone taking blood thinning medication.⁸

What is the Alcohol Industry Doing to Inform the Public?

There is no evidence the alcohol industry has publicly mentioned cancer risk when discussing the harms of their product. The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking and its predecessor do not mention cancer.  In an analysis of 101 industry documents and websites, no mentions of cancer were found.  The negative outcomes of alcohol are rarely discussed, other than unspecified consequences that can occur with irresponsible consumption.  The alcohol industry often utilizes the term “responsible drinking” but they rarely define what this means or cite government recommendations for use.¹,¹⁰  When it is defined, they confuse the consumer by saying consumption can vary from person to person due to gender, body habitus, food consumption, sleep, medication, etc.¹⁰. In other words, they are suggesting the guidelines may not apply to you, so you may not want to consider adjusting your intake of alcohol.

References

1. Babor TF, Robaina K, Brown K, et al. Is the alcohol industry doing well by ‘doing good’? Findings from a content analysis of the alcohol industry’s actions to reduce harmful drinking. BMJ Open. 2018;8(10):e024325. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024325

2. Babor TF, Robaina K. Public Health, Academic Medicine, and the Alcohol Industry’s Corporate Soci... American Journal of Public Health. 2013;103:206-214.

3. Rabin RC. Is Alcohol Good for You? An Industry-Backed Study Seeks Answers. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/well/eat/alcohol-national-institutes-of-health-clinical-trial.html. Published July 3, 2017. Accessed April 29, 2020.

4. IARD Members. International Alliance for Responsible Drinking. Accessed December 13, 2023. https://www.iard.org/welcome-to-iard/members-affiliations/

5. Tabak LA. Report of the ACD Working Group for Review of the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial.

6. Rabin RC. Federal Agency Courted Alcohol Industry to Fund Study on Benefits of Moderate Drinking.The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/health/nih-alcohol-study-liquor-industry.html. Published March 17, 2018. Accessed April 29, 2020.

7. Scheideler JK, Klein WMP. Awareness of the Link between Alcohol Consumption and Cancer across the World: A Review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2018;27(4):429-437. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-17-0645

8. Spiegelman D, Lovato LC, Khudyakov P, et al. The Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial (MACH15): Design and methods for a randomized trial of moderate alcohol consumption and cardiometabolic risk. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2020;27(18):1967-1982. doi:10.1177/2047487320912376

9. Garbarini N (NIH/OD) [E]. ACD Working Group for Review of the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health Trial.

10. Maani Hessari N, Petticrew M. What does the alcohol industry mean by ‘Responsible drinking’? A comparative analysis. Journal of Public Health. 2018;40(1):90-97. doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdx040