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Newswise — MOSCOW, Idaho — Dec. 20, 2024 — A University of Idaho faculty member served on a committee of experts that reviewed scientific literature on health outcomes of moderate alcohol consumption and recently released a report that will help inform the next edition of the .  

Shelley McGuire, director of U of I’s Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences and a leading researcher of human milk science, was one of nine experts who were part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) .   

The , summarized in a the National Academies issued on Dec. 17, defines moderate alcohol intake as no more than two drinks in a day for men and one drink in a day for women, as recommended in the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published in 2020. The report concludes with moderate certainty that the most recent evidence available suggests that moderate amounts of alcohol are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality in both men and women and lower all-cause mortality, though it is associated with increased risk of breast cancer in women.  

The report also concluded with low certainty that the risk of being overweight is similar in men who consume alcohol at any frequency of moderate intake, the risk of colorectal cancer is higher among those who consume moderate amounts of alcohol more frequently, consuming moderate amounts of alcohol is associated with a lower risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction or heart attack and moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of nonfatal stroke. The effects on other health outcomes researched by the committee, including those associated with breastfeeding, were inconclusive.  

In the fall of 2023, McGuire became the first faculty member to be inducted into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) while employed at an Idaho institution. NAM is a private, nonprofit organization that includes more than 2,400 members worldwide elected by their peers. It is among three academies comprising the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.  

McGuire is available to speak on:  

• The effects of alcohol consumption during lactation on milk composition and quality. 

• The effects of alcohol consumption on post-partum weight loss. 

• General thoughts on the recent report by the committee of experts on which she served.  

• The experience of serving on the committee.