New NHS alcohol rules ‘encourage women to drink as much as men’
NEW official alcohol guidelines could encourage women to drink at unsafe levels, doctors warned last night.
The Government’s updated recommendations, published yesterday, put men’s and women’s recommended weekly drinking limits at the same level.
They say that both men and women should drink no more than 14 units a week – the equivalent to six or seven glasses of wine.
While the limit for women is unchanged, it has been significantly reduced for men. Previously they were advised to have no more than 21 units a week.
Now clinicians have intervened to say that equalising the upper limits could give women the ‘false impression’ that they can safely drink as much as men – putting their health at risk. And campaigners said the advice was confusing and ‘ inconsistent with scientific evidence’. The guidelines were published in draft form in January, and were criticised over a claim that there is no safe level of drinking at all.
While the final draft retains that claim, its language has been toned down to make it clear there is nothing wrong in enjoying the occasional tipple.
The recommendations now state that ‘for many, alcohol is a part of their social life’, and that the rules are not meant to ‘ prevent those who wish to drink from doing so’.
They also make it clear that the risks of drinking are no higher than other everyday activities such as driving a car. However, the rules still state that pregnant women or those trying to conceive should not drink at all.
Doctors’ concerns about the equalisation of drinking limits for men and women were revealed in the Government’s response to a consultation on the alcohol guidance, published yesterday.
The document states: ‘ A commonly cited objection was that the low-risk limits are now the same for men and women. In particular, what was seen as conflicting statements around the effects of alcohol on different metabolisms and body weights, and concluding that there should not be a single figure for the weekly guideline.
‘In some cases, respondents felt this could encourage women to drink more, believing they can consume alcohol at the same levels as men, or that this might lead to people disbelieving the guidelines.’
The paper also states: ‘Of particular concern to some was the absence of any reference to differences between men and women with regard to single-occasion drinking. Some clinicians expressed concern that this would give women what
‘Give false impression’
they felt was a false impression that they can drink as much as men.’
Last night the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking said concentrating on weekly limits rather than daily limits was potentially ‘confusing’ as they were more difficult to monitor and abide by.
It also said that recommending the same levels for men and women is ‘inconsistent with scientific evi- dence about alcohol metabolism in men and women, and the relationship with risk of developing certain diseases’.
Other consultation respondents claimed the guidance was too rigid, saying the government should not be acting in such a ‘nanny state’ fashion. However, a new introduction has been added to make it clear there is nothing wrong with occasional drinking.
It states: ‘For many, alcohol is part of their social lives. As with most activities, this carries a degree of risk. With this in mind, these guidelines have been developed to enable people to make informed choices about their alcohol intake.’
The Government’s position appears out of step with that of Dame Sally Davies, England’s chief medical officer, who told MPs in February: ‘I would like people to take their choice knowing the issues and do as I do when I reach for my glass of wine and think, “Do I want my glass of wine or do I want to raise my risk of breast cancer?” And I take a decision each time I have a glass.’