Drinking guidelines to be reviewed

Department of Health officials will lead the first review of drinking advice in 15 years amid concerns the existing daily limit wrongly implies that daily drinking is healthy. The project is aimed at drawing up a new set of UK-wide drinking guidelines which are less easily misinterpreted than the current system. These could include a recommendation to abstain from alcohol for two days per week, special guidance about occasions where people drink heavily. The review was prompted by a report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee which said existing advice on safe drinking is too confusing. Current safe drinking limits advise that men should not exceed three to four units of alcohol per day, or two to three units for women. The guidance was introduced in 1995 due to research suggesting that moderate daily drinking may lower levels of harmful cholesterol in the blood, coupled with concerns that the old weekly “sensible limits” could be encouraging binge drinking. But critics say the switch to a daily limit created the false impression that drinking every day is healthy, with recent evidence questioning the supposed benefits of regular alcohol intake. In their report published earlier this year, the panel of MPs recommended that Britain should emulate Scotland by advising that every person has at least two alcohol-free days a week. They also called for clear guidance on what constitutes dangerous “binge drinking”, new safe drinking limits for older people and a website which would give users personalised advice based on their age, weight and family history. Speaking at the time Andrew Miller, who chaired the committee, said: “Alcohol guidelines are a crucial tool for the Government in its effort to combat excessive and problematic drinking. It is vital that they are up to date and that people know how to use them. “While we urge the UK health departments to re-evaluate the guidelines more thoroughly, the evidence we received suggests that the guidelines should not be increased and that people should be advised to take at least two drink-free days a week.” The review will be led by Dame Sally Davies, the UK’s chief medical officer, and will include input from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish health departments. Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, special adviser on alcohol to the Royal College of Physicians, said: "The RCP believes that in addition to quantity, safe alcohol limits must also take into account frequency. "There is an increased risk of liver disease for those who drink daily or near daily compared with those who drink periodically or intermittently. "We currently recommend consumption is limited to between 0 - 21 units a week for men and 0 - 14 units a week for women provided the total amount is not taken in binges and that there are two to three alcohol free days a week. At these levels, most individuals are unlikely to come to harm."