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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Moderate Drinking During Pregnancy Alters Gene Expression in the Placenta

Many children adversely affected by maternal drinking during pregnancy cannot be identified early in life using current diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). In the current study, conducted with pregnant rats, researchers examined whether ethanol-induced alterations in placental gene expression may be useful as diagnostic indicators of maternal drinking during pregnancy and as a prognostic indicators of risk...

Drinking Levels Defined

Drinking in Moderation: According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture , adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men and 1 drink or less in a day...

Rethinking Our Drinking Habits
Events such as Dry January and Sober October, as well as the broader sober curious movement, are rapidly gaining popularity, especially among Millennials.

News Release

Frequency of Light-to-Moderate Drinking Reduces Heart Disease Risk in Men
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A 12-year study of 38,077 male health professionals found that men who drank alcohol three or more days per week had a reduced risk of heart attack compared with men who drank less frequently. Men who drank less than one drink a day had similar risk reduction to those who drank three. Many epidemiologic studies have reported that moderate drinking-for...

News Release

Experts release improved clinical guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
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A group of experts on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) has proposed updated clinical guidelines for diagnosing FASD, which can result when a child is exposed to alcohol during prenatal development. The new guidelines clarify and expand upon the guidelines published by Hoyme and colleagues in 2005, which were the first to help clinicians distinguish among the four distinct subtypes...
Guidelines for Conducting Alcohol Research

The NIAAA National Advisory Board and Extramural Advisory Board established a core of guidelines for conducting alcohol research. These guidelines include recommendations on: Clinical Trial Regulations, Policies, and Guidance – How to conduct clinical trials NIAAA Guidance for Conducting Alcohol Administration Studies with Human Participants – Considerations, requirements, and expectations for researchers engaging in alcohol administration human subject research. Guidelines...

News Release

Quantity and Frequency of Drinking Influence Mortality Risk
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How much and how often people drink – not just the average amount of alcohol they consume over time – independently influence the risk of death from several causes, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Taken together, our results reinforce the importance of drinking in moderation. In drinkers who are not alcohol...

News Release

Study Links Diet Quality with Alcohol Drinking Patterns
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Unhealthy alcohol drinking patterns may go hand-in-hand with unhealthy eating habits, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Examining diet quality of individuals who drink any kind of alcoholic beverage, researchers found that people who...

HBO: Risky Drinking
Are you a risky drinker? Nearly 70% of American adults drink alcohol and nearly 1/3 of them engage in problem drinking at some point in their lives. Produced by HBO Documentary Films and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health, Risky Drinking is a no-holds-barred look at a national epidemic through the...
NIAAA Guidelines – Administrative Supplements and Extensions
Administrative supplement applications submitted in response to the NIH Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) PA-20-272 , Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (parent administrative supplement NOFO). NIAAA may accept unsolicited administrative supplement applications submitted through PA-20-272 , or linked to a notice of special interests (NOSI), which must be indicated in Box4B of the application. Timeline Unless...

News Release

Study supports single-question alcohol screen for adolescents
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Findings also endorse use of NIAAA youth screening guide A single screening question about drinking frequency in the past year could help doctors identify adolescents at risk for alcohol problems, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Conducted by researchers at the University of...
What Is A Standard Drink?
Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a drink. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink. Different types of beer, wine, or malt liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. For example, many light beers have almost as much...

News Release

NIAAA Releases Physicians' Guide
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The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) today released The Physicians' Guide to Helping Patients with Alcohol Problems , a step by step approach to aid primary care physicians during routine office visits in identifying and advising patients at risk for or experiencing alcohol problems. Developed by NIAAA with an interdisciplinary working group of alcohol researchers and health...

The Basics: Defining How Much Alcohol is Too Much
Show your patients a standard drink chart when asking about their alcohol consumption to encourage more accurate estimates. Drinks often contain more alcohol than people think, and patients often underestimate their consumption. Advise some patients not to drink at all, including those who are managing health conditions that can be worsened by alcohol, are taking medications that could interact with alcohol, are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are under age 21.
Rethinking Your Holiday Drinking
The holidays are a time for celebration and alcohol is often present at festive gatherings. Despite all good plans, people may consume alcohol more than they intended.

News Release

Diet Quality Worsens as Alcohol Intake Increases
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People who drink more are also likely to eat less fruit and consume more calories from a combination of alcoholic beverages and foods high in unhealthy fats and added sugars, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study...

A Growing Concern: Increased Drinking Among Older Adults
The older adult population is increasing rapidly. Alcohol use among older adults is also increasing. As we focus on the quality of life for this growing population, it’s important to take into account how alcohol affects their overall health.
Guidelines for establishing and operating a Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)
Introduction This guidance is intended to assist the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-supported extramural researchers in establishing and operating a Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for clinical trials [1] funded by NIAAA. The purpose of the DSMB is to provide oversight and monitoring of the conduct of clinical trials to ensure the safety of participants and...
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