The health authorities in the US have revised their advice on alcohol consumption in the latest update to the country’s federal Dietary Guidelines.
The revised guidance from the US departments of health & human services and of agriculture, released this week and available to view here, advises the public in the country to “consume less alcohol for better overall health”, replacing previous recommendations that adults limit intake to one or two drinks per day. Rather than setting specific thresholds, the updated language emphasises moderation and risk reduction, while outlining specific groups of people that should avoid alcohol entirely.
These include pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder, and those with medical conditions or medications that interact with alcohol.
The previous guidelines recommended that women limit themselves to no more than one alcoholic drink per day, and men to no more than two. A ‘drink’ is defined by set volumes for wine, beer and spirits.
In June, a Reuters report claimed that the US Government was planning to make this adjustment to its public health advice.
When the report was published, Science Over Bias – a group of US growers, producers, distributors and retailers of beer, wine and spirits – said: “The hospitality industry has consistently maintained the view that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans should be determined based on a preponderance of sound scientific evidence, free from bias and conflicts of interest.”
In September, the United Nations worked up an update to its ‘political declaration on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases’, which includes the consumption of alcohol.
