Alcohol guidelines should be reviewed

- No evidence to raise the limits
- More emphasis on 2 days a week abstinence

MPs on the cross-party Science and Technology Committee have raised concerns about the advice offered by government in regard to the ‘sensible drinking’ limits. The Committee also concluded that greater efforts should be focused on helping people understand the guidelines and how to use them.

The Science and Technology Committee conducted an investigation into the alcohol guidelines in the light of any new evidence that had emerged since they were first formulated. Dr Marsha Morgan, representing the Institute of Alcohol Studies, was one of a number of expert witnesses to appear before the Committee. Others provided written evidence. There was a general consensus among the experts that no evidence had emerged to justify raising the drinking limits, but also that some confusion had arisen in the public mind about how the guidelines should be understood, particularly in regard to whether it was advisable to drink alcohol every day of the week, even within the limits. There was some disagreement among the experts in regard to the supposed health benefits of moderate drinking.

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.”

In 1987, the “sensible limits” for drinking were defined as 21 units of alcohol a week for men and 14 for women. By the early 1990s, scientific evidence had emerged suggesting that alcohol consumption might reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), prompting a review of the guidelines. The Government, therefore, recommended that drinking guidelines should be couched in daily terms: men should not regularly drink more than three to four units a day and women no more than two to three units a day.

Scepticism about health benefits

The Committee found a lack of expert consensus over the health benefits of alcohol and is, therefore, sceptical 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.

The Committee also found that, while public awareness of the existence of guidelines was high, a deeper understanding of what the guidelines were, and of what a unit of alcohol looked like, was lacking. Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the Government is working with the drinks industry to ensure that over 80% of alcoholic products on shelf will have labels with alcoholic unit content and the drinking guidelines by 2013.

The Committee concluded that the Government should remain mindful that sensible drinking messages may conflict with the business objectives of drinks companies, and should exercise proper scrutiny and oversight. The Government should conduct an interim assessment of the initiative in December 2012 rather than waiting for the target date of December 2013. The Committee also recommended that the Department of Health and devolved health departments should establish a working group to review the evidence and advise whether the guidelines should be revised.

The full report of the Science and Technology Committee can be downloaded from:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/ cmselect/cmsctech/1536/153602.htm