New guidelines for alcohol consumption produced by the UK Chief Medical Officers have put the weekly limit for men in line with women, with a warning that drinking any level of alcohol increases the risk of a range of cancers. Approximately 1 in 20 of all new cancers in the United Kingdom stem from alcohol consumption. The changes are based on strengthening evidence of the link between alcohol and cancer, even when alcohol is consumed at relatively low levels.
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The guidelines encourage several alcohol-free days per week but insist that units should not be saved for one night out, while pregnant women are advised not to drink any alcohol at all.
The benefits of alcohol for heart health only apply for women who are 55 and older, with the greatest benefit seen when intake is limited to five units a week.
It has also mentioned that even if people drink, they should indulge into moderate drinking only over three or more days.
“The risk of getting cancer increases the more alcohol a person drinks”, said Mark Petticrew, from the London School of Hygiene, who was part of the committee that looked into the subject.
“The objective of these new guidelines is to provide the public with the latest accurate information on how they can reduce health risks from alcohol, if they choose to drink”, Dr. Niamh Fitzgerald, a professor of alcohol studies at the University of Stirling, told the BBC. “But the risk does steadily rise, and the expert group suggest considering a second “higher-risk” threshold-for example, 28 units a week is estimated to lead to a 5% extra chance of dying from an alcohol-related condition for men, and 8% for women”. “Saving up” units and binge drinking is not recommended.
Risks outweigh any potential gain, according to the first full review of alcohol guidelines for England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1995.
It likewise advised pregnant women not to drink at all as a precautionary measure and veers away from the long-held belief that small amounts of alcohol are good.
Prof Linda Bauld, of Cancer Research UK, welcomed the guidelines, saying: “There is no “safe” level of drinking when it comes to cancer”.
Most of us know what alcohol can do to our bodies.
The report defines consuming three pints of beer in one session as “binge drinking” and warns that the evidence showing the health benefits of red wine is “considered less strong than it was”.
Breast Cancer Now’s policy and campaigns manager for Scotland, Lawrence Cowan, said: “We welcome the Chief Medical Officers’ recommendations”.
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“Excessive consumption of alcohol can cause serious health problems and this has wide-ranging implications for individuals, their families and communities, and the health and social services”, he said. But, the new recommendations say that the risk to the baby is likely to be low, but “nevertheless” the risks can not be rules out altogether.
