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Science Quickly

The Health Risks of Alcohol, a Red Dye Ban and Commercial Space Flights

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.41.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A report that was recently released by the Department of Health and Human Services highlights the risks of drinking alcohol, even moderately. The Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of the dye Red No. 3 in food and other products. Experts argue that body mass index (BMI) is a flawed way to diagnose “obesity.” A SpaceX rocket successfully brought two lunar landers into orbit—but in another launch, part of a separate SpaceX vehicle exploded after takeoff. Plus, Australia has another scary spider. Recommended reading: – What to Know about the Ban on Red Dye in Foods and Drugs  – Blue Ghost, a Private U.S. Lunar Lander, Launches to the Moon  – People Who Are Fat and Healthy May Hold Keys to Understanding Obesity  E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter.  Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Madison Goldberg and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show is edited by Madison Goldberg with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Why are businesses like HelloVet choosing Apple products and services?

0:04.8

So we started the business two years ago.

0:07.2

We had a few people who were used to PCs and this was their first foray into Macs.

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But it's been super smooth getting everyone onto those devices and everyone seems really, really happy.

0:18.0

Find out how Mac can help you run and grow your business at apple.com forward slash hello vet.

0:26.0

Happy Monday listeners.

0:27.6

For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Thaltman.

0:30.9

Let's kick off the week by catching up on some science news you might have missed.

0:35.4

Last Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Committee

0:38.8

released a new draft report on alcohol. The review of existing data tied just one drink a day

0:44.8

to increased risk of liver cirrhosis, oral cancer, and esophageal cancer. The committee also found

0:51.7

that alcohol use was associated with a higher risk of death from seven types of cancer.

0:57.0

And this isn't the first time that the health effects of alcohol have made headlines in 2025.

1:02.0

Earlier this month, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy argued that alcoholic drinks should come with cancer warning labels.

1:09.0

The report did find some counterintuitive connections, too.

1:13.3

People who had one drink a day had a lower risk of ischemic stroke than people who didn't,

1:18.7

and women who consumed one, two, or three drinks per day had a lower risk of diabetes.

1:23.9

But these apparent benefits are fickle.

1:27.1

The lower risk of eschemic stroke, for example, can disappear if people even occasionally drink

1:32.3

four or five servings in one sitting.

1:35.0

And women who consumed two alcoholic drinks per day may have had a lower risk overall of diabetes,

1:40.1

but they also had significantly higher risks of eschemic stroke and liver disease.

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