Dive Brief:
- The U.K.'s new guidelines for alcohol consumption are more severe than the U.S. 2015 Dietary Guidelines. U.S. guidelines say moderate alcohol consumption can be part of a healthy diet, while the U.K. guidelines say no amount of alcohol consumption is devoid of health risks, including cancer.
- According to the new U.K. guidelines, both men and women should limit alcohol consumption to no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, or about seven glasses of wine, six pints of beer, or half a bottle of whiskey, and those drinks should be spread out over at least three days. While these recommendations are the same as previous ones for women, men's recommendations before were no more than 21 units, or nine medium glasses of wine or pints of "strong" beer, per week. Pregnant women are advised to not drink any alcohol, while previous guidelines said a small amount would not be risky.
- The U.S. guidelines recommend up to one drink a day for women and up to two for men, with one drink being equivalent to 1.5 oz of 40% proof spirits, 5 oz of wine at 12% ABV, and a "regular" beer at 5% ABV.
Dive Insight:
Despite being what The New York Times described as "a nation where neighborhood pubs are part of the national fabric," the U.K.'s drastic reduction in alcohol consumption recommendations signals that public health concerns may be brewing where alcohol is involved. But not all in the U.K. feel the same way.
"Alcohol consumption has been falling for a decade. The change to the guidelines will turn hundreds of thousands of people into hazardous drinkers overnight thereby reviving the moral panic about drinking in Britain and opening the door to yet more nanny state interventions," Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at Institute of Economic Affairs, told The New York Times.
The U.S. guidelines are, for now, still more accepting. Many beer, wine, and spirits companies call the U.S. their largest market.
"As with all things, moderation is the key, and the 2015 Dietary Guidelines also make this clear," Dr. Sam Zakhari, Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus) vice president of science and former division director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told The Spirits Business.