American Cancer Society Updated Alcohol Advice in 2020 After Scheduled Guidelines Review

The American Cancer Society changed its official guidance in 2020 to state that abstaining from alcohol is best for cancer prevention. The shift followed years in which the organization received millions of dollars from the alcohol industry through an annual New York City gala.

Len Lichtenfeld, who served as deputy chief medical officer until his 2020 layoff, told @statnews he had defended the prior position in an interview with a New York Times reporter nearly a decade earlier.

He said he knew from staff epidemiologists that evidence was mounting against the claim that a drink or two a day was safe, even for cancer prevention, but did not mention those concerns. Lichtenfeld said he felt indirect pressure to keep alcohol-industry donors happy. “It stayed with me, because I knew it was a conflicted situation,” he said.

The interaction with the reporter “weighed heavily” on him after he left the organization. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society, told @statnews the 2020 change resulted from a regularly scheduled update of nutrition guidelines.

He said staff epidemiologists had pushed for a stronger alcohol statement since the late 2010s and that the full committee endorsed the current position.

“It was the right thing to do in 2020,” Dahut said.