Recommended maximum intake of alcoholic beverages

There is no global consensus on recommended maximum intake (or safe limits) of the drug alcohol.[1] The guidelines provided by health agencies of governments are varied and are shown below. These recommendations concerning maximum intake are distinct from any legal restrictions (e.g. driving after consuming alcohol) that may apply in those countries. The American Heart Association recommends that those who do not already consume alcoholic beverages should not start doing so because of the negative long-term effects of alcohol consumption.[2][3]

Caveats

The guidelines are general guidelines applying to a typical person. However, there are some people who should not consume alcohol, or limit their use to less than guideline amounts. These are:

The standard guidelines may be too high when:

Units and standard drinks

See also: Standard drink

Countries express alcohol intake in units or standard drinks when recommending maximum alcohol intake. In increasing order of unit size a unit or standard drink is defined as:

Country Grams of pure alcohol millilitres Ref
Austria 20 [10]
United Kingdom 8 10 [11][10]
Iceland 9.5 [12]
Netherlands 10 [10]
Australia10 12.7 [13]
Ireland10 12.7 [14]
Italy10 12.7
New Zealand10 12.7 [15]
Poland10 12.7
Spain10 12.7
Finland11 [16]
Denmark12
France12
South Africa12
Canada13.6 [5]
Portugal14 [16]
United States14 [16]
Hungary17
Japan 19.7525
Hong Kong 10 [17]

Men

The standard drink size is given in brackets.

Daily maximum drinks (no weekly limits recommended)

Therefore, these countries recommend limits for men in the range 20–40 g per day.

Daily/weekly maximum drinks

These countries recommend a weekly limit, but intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount.

Therefore, these countries recommend limits for men in the range 27.2–32 g of ethanol per day and 168–210 g of ethanol per week.

Weekly maximum drinks


Women who are neither pregnant nor breastfeeding

Women trying to become pregnant should look at the guidelines for pregnant women given in the next section.

Daily maximum drinks (no weekly limits recommended)

Therefore, these countries recommend limits for women in the range 10–30 g per day.

Daily/weekly maximum drinks

These countries recommend a weekly limit, but your intake on a particular day may be higher than one-seventh of the weekly amount.

Therefore, these countries recommend limits for women in the range 14–27.2 g per day and 98–140 g per week.

Weekly maximum drinks

Pregnant women

Excessive drinking in pregnancy is the cause of Fetal alcohol syndrome (BE: foetal alcohol syndrome), especially in the first eight to twelve weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, pregnant women receive special advice. It is not known whether there is a safe minimum amount of alcohol consumption, although low levels of drinking are not known to be harmful.[25][26] As there may be some weeks between conception and confirmation of pregnancy, most countries recommend that women trying to become pregnant should follow the guidelines for pregnant women.

In short, all countries listed above now recommend that women abstain from alcohol consumption if they are pregnant or likely to become pregnant.

Breastfeeding women

"Alcohol passes to the baby in small amounts in breast milk. The milk will smell different to the baby and may affect their feeding, sleeping or digestion. The best advice is to avoid drinking shortly before a baby’s feed."[34] "Alcohol inhibits a mother’s let-down (the release of milk to the nipple). Studies have shown that babies take around 20% less milk if there’s alcohol present, so they’ll need to feed more often – although infants have been known to go on ‘nursing strike’, probably because of the altered taste of the milk."[35] "There is little research evidence available about the effect that [alcohol in breast milk] has on the baby, although practitioners report that, even at relatively low levels of drinking, it may reduce the amount of milk available and cause irritability, poor feeding and sleep disturbance in the infant. Given these concerns, a prudent approach is advised."[4]

Minors

Countries have different recommendations concerning the administration of alcohol to minors by adults.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sussex uni finds "no consensus" on safe drink limits". Theargus.co.uk. 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  2. ↑ Mechanick, Jeffrey I.; Kushner, Robert F. (21 April 2016). Lifestyle Medicine: A Manual for Clinical Practice. Springer Science. p. 153. ISBN 9783319246871. However, even light alcohol use (≤1 drink daily) increases the risk of developing cancer, and heavier use (≥2-4 drinks daily) significantly increases morbidity and mortality. Given these and other risks, the American Heart Association cautions that, if they do not already drink alcohol, people should not start drinking for the purported cardiovascular benefits of alcohol.
  3. ↑ Deedwania, Prakash (12 January 2015). "Alcohol and Heart Health". American Heart Association (AHA). Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Australian Guidelines 2009, p. 39
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health / Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) Low Risk Drinking
  7. ↑ Weathermon R, Crabb DW (1999). "Alcohol and medication interactions" (PDF). Alcohol Res Health. 23 (1): 40–54. PMID 10890797.
  8. ↑ Prevention Source BC Alcohol and Drug Interactions Winter 2000
  9. ↑ Sheldrake, Sean; Pollock, Neal W. "Alcohol and Diving". In: Steller D, Lobel L, eds. Diving for Science 2012. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences 31st Symposium. Dauphin Island, AL: AAUS; 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Drinking Guidelines: General Population". IARD.org. International Alliance for Responsible Drinking. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  11. ↑ PRODIGY Knowledge (Department of Health) Alcohol and Sensible Drinking
  12. 1 2 3 Worldwide Recommendations on Alcohol Consumption Archived 26 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Department of Health and Ageing The Australian Standard Drink
  14. ↑ Hope, A. (2009). A Standard Drink in Ireland: What strength? (PDF). Health Service Executive. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) What's in a Standard Drink
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Drinking and You Drinking guidelines — units of alcohol
  17. ↑ Department of Health Alcohol and Health: Hong Kong Situation
  18. 1 2 3 4 National Health and Medical Research Council 2009 Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol
  19. 1 2 3 4 National Health and Medical Research Council 2009 Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol: Frequently Asked Questions
  20. ↑ "New alcohol guidelines say reduce drinking to reduce risk". Nhmrc.gov.au. 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  21. 1 2 Department of Health Action Plan to Reduce Alcohol-related Harm in Hong Kong September 2011
  22. ↑
  23. 1 2 Navn (påkrævet). "Sundhedsstyrelsen anbefaler at vi drikker mindre alkohol | Alkoholbehandling's Weblog". Alkoholbehandling.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  24. ↑ Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) (goes live September 2006)
  25. 1 2 NICE, Routine antenatal care for healthy pregnant women March 2007
  26. 1 2 BBC 'No alcohol in pregnancy' advised 25 May 2007
  27. ↑ "Proper Nutrition during Pregnancy". Ministry of Health. State of Israel. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  28. 1 2 New Zealand Ministry of Health Manatū Hauora Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
  29. ↑ "Alkovett for den lille" (PDF). http://avogtil.no/. AV OG TIL. Retrieved 23 June 2016. External link in |website= (help)
  30. ↑ Department of Health Alcohol Advice
  31. ↑ NHS Alcohol and pregnancy
  32. ↑ Rosemary Bennett Zero – the new alcohol limit in pregnancy The Times 25 May 2007
  33. ↑ 'USDA, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, Chapter 9: Alcoholic Beverages
  34. ↑ Alcohol and pregnancy
  35. 1 2 Alcohol and breastfeeding (2009) | Retrieved 23 May 2014
  36. ↑ "Consultation on children, young people and alcohol". Dcsf.gov.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  37. ↑ Parents back alcohol free childhood 17 December 2009
  38. ↑ BBC 'No alcohol' urged for under-15s 29 January 2009
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