UK govt. backs ‘no safe level’ for drinking

The UK government has backed proposed guidelines issued in January 2016 that claim there is “no safe level” of alcohol consumption.

The UK government has backed drinking guidelines which state there is ‘no safe level’ of alcohol consumption

The guidelines, issued by the chief medical officer (CMO), follow advice issued previously and state that “there is no level of regular drinking that can be considered as completely safe”.

However if people choose to consume alcohol, the guidelines recommend “drinking evenly over three or more days”.

If consumers wish to cut down the amount they drink, they are advised to have “several drink-free days each week”.

The guidance also states “the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all” if you are pregnant, or think you could become pregnant.

The new 14-unit recommended limit for men is one of the lowest among countries that offer alcohol intake advice. The UK is now one of just a few countries that issues identical advice for both men and women.

Health campaigners have welcomed the guidelines. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance and an advisor to the chief medical officer, reiterated his support for the policy.

“The public have the right to know about the harms associated with alcohol consumption, so that they can make informed choices about their drinking,” he said in a statement.

“The latest evidence demonstrates that the risk associated with cancer increases with any amount of alcohol consumed, so there is no level of drinking which can be considered ‘safe’.

“This evidence was not available when the guidelines were last reviewed and is partly why the low risk guidelines have been revised downwards by the four chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

‘Confusing’ and ‘regrettable’

However a number of industry bodies have criticised the move, with Miles Beale, Wine and Spirit Trade Association chief executive, branding the guidelines “confusing”.

“It is widely recognised that moderate and responsible consumption of alcohol is compatible with a healthy lifestyle and carries a degree of risk comparable with many other day to day activities.   Rather than inform the consumer these revised guidelines will only serve to confuse,” he said.

“The revised guidelines also completely fail to take account of the reduction in alcohol consumption in the UK, which has seen a decline of nearly a fifth in the last decade.

“We will reflect and consult our members on our position in response to the publication of the consultation response today.”

The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) criticised the guidelines for “failing to present the scientific evidence in a balanced way”.

“The UK is only one of six countries that recommend the same levels of intake for both men and women,” the organisation said in a statement.

“This is inconsistent with scientific evidence about alcohol metabolism in men and women, and the relationship with risk of developing certain diseases.”

It continues: “The depiction of the relationship between drinking and outcomes reflected in the guidelines does not reflect well-established evidence on the beneficial effects of moderate drinking.

“The large body of established research into potential health benefits of moderate drinking has been discounted on methodological grounds, reflecting a particular perspective and not the full evidence base.”

IARD also puts the guidance claim that “there is no level of regular drinking that can be considered as completely safe in relation to some cancers” into wider context. The organisations claims there is a 4% increase in breast cancer risk for those to drink “lightly”, versus a 16% increase with physical inactivity, a 25% increase with smoking, and a 42% increase with eight-plus years of oral contraceptive use.

Meanwhile the Portman Group chief executive Henry Ashworth described the reference to “no safe level of drinking” as “regrettable”.

“Although the CMOs have provided much needed clarity that responsible drinking carries a level of risk no greater than other day-to-day activities, it is regrettable that the guidelines still include a reference to the Guidelines Development Group’s view that there is no safe level of drinking.

“This message has been consistently advocated by Guidelines Development Group members with widely-reported temperance interests and ignores international and domestic evidence.

“Placed alongside low risk guidelines it will render the CMOs’ advice confusing and contradictory for consumers.”

The guidelines follow an April 2016 study into the definitions of ‘standard” and ‘low-risk’ drinking around the world which concluded that there is a “substantial” risk of consumer misunderstanding.