Should adults cut their alcohol consumption in half for health reasons? That’s what a federal government advisory committee is recommending.

It matters because that recommendation is likely to get baked into the government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, due for a five-year update this year, and disseminated to health agencies and medical professionals nationwide. It’s the kind of advice that should be based on evidence — that there’s some great health benefit to cutting back. But in this case, there’s no evidence, only politics and the personal biases of advisory committee members.