Men’s advised alcohol limit now same as women

Strict new alcohol guidelines published in the UK now put the recommended drinking limit for men in line with women while warning there is no safe level of consumption.

New alcohol advice suggests men should drink no more than women – a maximum intake of 14 units per week

In the first shakeup of UK alcohol guidelines in 20 years, the UK’s chief medical officers now say men and women who drink alcohol regularly should not exceed more than 14 units a week – a reduction from the previous male recommendation of 21 units a week.

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

Furthermore, the guidelines also advise anyone who does drink 14 units per week to spread their consumption “evenly” over three or more days and to not have one or two binge drinking sessions, in an effort to reduce the risks of death from long term illnesses, accidents and injuries.

Those looking to drink less alcohol are also advised to have “several drink-free days” each week.

The guidelines also emphasise there is “no level of regular drinking that can be considered as completely safe”, and that any amount of alcohol can increase the risk of cancer.

No safe alcohol limit for pregnant women

Advice in the past to pregnant women has been highly confusing, but the new advice is that pregnant women should abstain from drinking alcohol as “no level of alcohol is safe to drink in pregnancy”.

Previous advice for pregnant women suggested limiting alcohol consumption to no more than one or two units each week.

“Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk for anyone, but if men and women limit their intake to no more than 14 units a week it keeps the risk of illness like cancer and liver disease low,” said Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England.

“I want pregnant women to be very clear that they should avoid alcohol as a precaution. Although the risk of harm to the baby is low if they have drunk small amounts of alcohol before becoming aware of the pregnancy, there is no ‘safe’ level of alcohol to drink when you are pregnant.

“What we are aiming to do with these guidelines is give the public the latest and most up to date scientific information so that they can make informed decisions about their own drinking and the level of risk they are prepared to take.”

Several trade bodies have responded to the new alcohol guidelines. Click through to the following pages to read their comments.

Drinkaware

Elaine Hindal, chief executive of alcohol education charity Drinkaware, said: “We welcome these new alcohol guidelines which will help people make better choices about their drinking and give them practical advice – such as taking drink-free days – to reduce the short and long term health risks of alcohol.

“Our own research suggests that aside from the well-known impacts on the liver, broader alcohol-related health risks such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer are not commonly understood by many people.

“Lowering the limit for men to 14 units per week– around six pints of average strength beer – bringing it in line with the maximum limit for women, may help to simplify the message that excessive drinking carries an increased risk of heath harms.

“We also welcome the new, clearer advice to pregnant women not to drink at all to keep the risks to their baby to a minimum. We will support the Chief Medical Officers in communicating the new advice through our website and resources as soon as is practically possible.”

Portman Group

Henry Ashworth, chief executive of Portman Group, said: “The vast majority of us – more than four in five adults – drink within the current lower risk guidelines. Guidelines are important because they help people make informed choices about their own drinking so it’s vital that they are trusted and understood by consumers. What is surprising is that the UK is breaking with established international precedent by recommending the same guidelines for men and women. It also means that UK men are now being advised to drink significantly less than their European counterparts.”

WSTA

Chief executive for the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), Miles Beale, said: “The UK has seen a significant drop in alcohol consumption through the effective working partnership between the government and the drinks industry, including reproducing – voluntarily – CMO guidelines on labels. This partnership approach successfully influenced consumer behaviour.

“20 years after the original guidelines all labelling advice is out of date overnight. We are disappointed that the guidelines are expected to come in with immediate effect and that government’s industry partners have not been involved in any consultation.

“We note the first changes to the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for 20 years.

“We will now review the scientific evidence that has led to the suggested changes – some of which establish a new international precedent.

“As is well documented we have seen significant successes in changing consumer behaviour through the Responsibility Deal, including an almost 19% drop in alcohol consumption in the UK over ten years. This has been achieved by government, industry and the public health community working together.

“20 years after the original guidelines were issued, and following a two year wait, we are surprised that the guidelines are expected to take effect immediately. Given the significant progress made voluntarily through the Responsibility Deal we are disappointed that the industry has not been involved.

“The drinks industry working with government has voluntarily exceeded an 80% target delivering the current CMO guidelines on alcohol labelling. This was achieved ahead of schedule and at no public cost. This labelling advice is out of date overnight.

“We look forward to talking to government about the changes, the evidence and guidelines in due course.

“Importantly, changes to the guidelines will not automatically lead to changes in consumer behaviour. It will be vital to explain to the public why the advice has changed and why it is different to advice in other EU countries – so that they are not confused by new guidance.”