New alcohol guidelines in Canada advise Canadians to limit themselves to just two units a week – and ideally cut out alcohol altogether.
– The development of knowledge is moving more and more in the direction that every drop is detrimental to health, says head of department Øyvind Giæver in the Directorate of Health, to Dagbladet.
– Could be drunk in the middle of the day
To i uka
This week, the Canadian Center on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) published a report calling on Canadians to severely limit their alcohol intake, warning of a number of serious health risks from “moderate” alcohol consumption. Among these are cancer, heart disease and stroke. It writes The Guardian.
The guidelines are funded by “Health Canada”, and stand in stark contrast to previous recommendations from 2011. At that time, Canadians were told that low-risk consumption was up to 10 units a week for women and 15 for men.
It has now been adjusted down to two alcohol units per week.
In CCSA’s measurements, a unit is considered to be a 255 milliliter beer with five percent alcohol, a 148 milliliter glass of wine with 12 percent, or a shot glass with 40 percent spirits.
Several countries have their own recommendations on alcohol intake, but the health authorities in Norway do not currently have such recommended limits.
– Increases for each unit
Øyvind Giæver says that the Directorate of Health is familiar with the Canadian recommendations, and that there is a discussion about whether to develop recommendations on the number of alcohol units in this country as well.
He nevertheless says that the development of knowledge is moving more and more in the direction that there is no safe lower limit for health-related alcohol intake.
– The health risk increases for each unit you consume, says Giæver.
– Should one refrain from drinking alcohol completely?
– If you only think about health, there are many indications that it is best to abstain from alcohol. Then there are some health aspects that are not captured as well in that calculation, says Giæver, referring to, for example, the quality of life aspect.
LIVING CONDITIONS: Head of department for living conditions in the Directorate of Health, Øyvind Giæver. Photo: Directorate of Health
sea view
The head of department in the Directorate of Health says there is a difference between different injuries linked to different amounts of alcohol use.
– Long-term low intake gives a greater chance of various chronic diseases such as liver damage, cancer, cardiovascular problems and so on. Short-term high intake increases the risk of violence, accidents and third-party damage.
He says there is no scientific basis for “a little alcohol” being healthy.
– It is a myth that has been difficult to dispel, but which no longer has any scientific basis.
Can get over 100 ailments
Meet skepticism
In the UK, no more than six 180 milliliter glasses of wine or six pints of four per cent alcohol per week are recommended, ideally spread over three days or more. Health authorities in the United States recommend no more than two units per day for men and only one for women, writes The Guardian.
However, Canadian experts believe that new research shows that three to six units a week should be considered a moderate risk for both women and men. Seven or more a week constitutes a high risk, they believe. The health risks highlighted are colon and breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. In addition, the CCSA highlights injuries and violence as negative outcomes of alcohol consumption.
However, the new research is met with skepticism among other health experts.
– This type of research often marginalises other considerations for health and well-being from alcohol, said Professor of Health Sciences at Brock University, Dan Malleck, to The Guardian.
He is afraid that the new guidelines are creating anxiety and stress among Canadians who previously considered themselves moderate drinkers, but who now fall under the high-risk category.
Malleck also points to the positive effects of alcohol, such as pleasure, stress relief and the social, with which alcohol consumption is often associated.
– We exist in a social space, and that also has a significant impact on our health, he says.
