News
Science & Technology Committee publish report on drinking guidelines
The Science and Technology Committee have released a
report urging the Government to review its sensible drinking guidelines.
The report, published today, is the result of an inquiry held at the
end of last year, to which IAS gave evidence.
MPs on the Committee conclude that greater efforts should
also be focused on helping people understand the guidelines and how to
use them. Andrew Miller MP, Chair of the Committee, said:
“Alcohol guidelines are a crucial tool for 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.
“Unfortunately, public understanding of how to use the
guidelines and what an alcohol unit looks like is poor, although
improving.
“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.”
Key findings and recommendations from the report include:
- A thorough review of the evidence concerning alcohol and
health risks is due. The Government should set up a working group to
conduct this and assess whether the guidelines should be changed
- In the context of current daily guidelines, the public
should be advised to take at least two alcohol-free days each week and
the current guidelines should not be raised
- Scepticism about using the purported health benefits of
alcohol as a basis for daily guidelines for the adult population,
particularly as it is clear that any protective effects would only apply
to men over 40 years and post-menopausal women, yet the guidelines
apply to all adults
- A lack of public understanding about what the current guidelines are and what constitutes a unit of alcohol
- The Government should remain mindful that sensible
drinking messages may conflict with the business objectives of drinks
companies and exercise proper scrutiny and oversight of voluntary unit
labelling on alcoholic drinks
To download a copy of the report click here. (pdf 365kb)