UK Government Advised to Change Alcohol Guidelines

Experts have advised the UK Government to change the guidelines for safe drinking: currently 2-3 units per day for women, and 3-4 units per day for men.

Liver specialist, Dr Nick Sheron (Alcohol Health Alliance UK), says the old guidelines were based on sound research, which stated a weekly limit of 21 units per week for men, and 14 units per week for women, and emphasised the need for alcohol-free days.

The recommendation was changed from a weekly to a daily limit, "In a bid to curb binge drinking and emphasize the harms of saving up a week's limit to blow in one or two sessions at the weekend."

Dr Sheron explained, the original limits were based on strong evidence that the benefits of alcohol would be outweighed by the dangers. He believes there was no good reason for the change from a weekly to a daily limit saying, "[The guidelines] were turned into daily limits by a community of civil servants and the reasoning behind it is shrouded in mystery and is not largely supported by experts."

Other experts support him, voicing fears that the message of having at least a couple of alcohol-free days per week has been lost. Dr Rachel Seabrook (Institute of Alcohol Studies) said, "We are quite concerned about the use of 'daily' in the message. It implies that you can drink on every day. There should be an explicit warning against this."

What does this mean for you?

How much can you safely drink without risking liver damage or other problems? From what the experts say, it appears that:

• It is safe to occasionally drink more than 2-3 units (women), or 3-4 units (men) in a day: so long as you remain under your weekly limit.
• You should not drink every day of the week. Have at least a couple of alcohol-free days.
• If you have a heavy drinking session, don't drink for 48 hours afterwards.

When you're trying to lose weight or eat a healthier diet, keep in mind that alcohol contains calories (7 calories per gram of alcohol) - and many alcoholic drinks are also high in sugar.

You may want to read Alcohol and Fat Loss and 7 Tips for Including Alcohol in a Healthy Lifestyle.