The Trump administration on Wednesday released updated federal dietary guidelines that mark a significant shift in how alcohol consumption is addressed.

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised every five years, abandon specific daily drink limits in favor of broader language urging moderation. Instead of recommending that men limit alcohol to two drinks per day and women to one — guidance that has appeared in past editions — the updated guidelines simply advise Americans to “limit alcoholic beverages.”

The revised recommendations also eliminate distinctions between men and women, despite longstanding research showing that men and women metabolize alcohol differently and face different health risks at comparable levels of consumption.

The guidelines were unveiled by administration officials including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Brooke Rollins, Marty Makary, and Mehmet Oz. Beyond alcohol, the recommendations emphasize eating whole foods, prioritizing protein-rich meals, incorporating healthy fats and choosing full-fat dairy products without added sugars.

At a White House briefing, Oz questioned the scientific basis for previous numerical limits on alcohol consumption, arguing that they were not grounded in precise evidence defining a safe number of drinks per day. His comments came despite extensive research linking alcohol consumption to increased risks of cancer, liver disease and other health problems.

Global and U.S. health authorities have taken a more cautious stance in recent years. The World Health Organization has said no amount of alcohol is safe, and former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy previously urged alcohol manufacturers to add clearer cancer warnings to their labels.

Pressed to explain the scientific rationale behind the updated guidance, Oz characterized alcohol as a “social lubricant” that can help bring people together — a framing that drew scrutiny from public health experts who emphasize the well-documented risks associated with drinking.