US Revises Dietary Guidelines for Next Year
Government Advisory Panel Some Say "Even Small Amounts Harm Health"
WHO, Canada, Japan Strengthen Drinking Guidelines
Alcohol Industry Pushes Back
The U.S. government is facing intense debate over appropriate alcohol consumption levels ahead of the revision of the 'dietary guideline,' published every five years to promote public health. For the past 30 years, the guideline has considered 'up to 2 drinks per day for men (one standard drink containing 14g of alcohol) and up to 1 drink per day for women' as moderate drinking. However, as the government is discussing lowering the recommended alcohol intake in the new revision, the alcohol industry is strongly opposing the move.
On the 25th, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that lawmakers, related agencies, and lobbyists are clashing over next year's revision of the dietary guideline in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government is not only considering lowering the recommended alcohol consumption but also separating the alcohol-related content from the main guideline and releasing it independently.
During the revision process led by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, two advisory panels provide recommendations. Among them, half of the six government-appointed advisors co-authored a paper last year stating that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful to health. They argue that "alcohol is linked to over 200 diseases." Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement in January last year saying, "It is difficult to say that any level of alcohol consumption is safe." WHO explained, "Even one drink poses health risks" and "the less alcohol consumed, the safer it is." In other words, the appropriate alcohol consumption level is 'zero drinks.'
The global trend regarding appropriate alcohol consumption is also hard to ignore.
Canada's Centre on Substance Use and Addiction proposed last year that health authorities revise their guidelines to recommend 'no more than two drinks per week' for public health. Previously, Canada's guidelines stated that men could consume up to 15 drinks per week and women up to 10 drinks per week as moderate drinking. Japan also announced its first government-level drinking guideline in February. After releasing a draft in November last year, the finalized guideline warns that consuming more than 40g of pure alcohol per day for men and 20g for women increases the risk of lifestyle-related diseases. Twenty grams of pure alcohol typically corresponds to one 500ml can of beer or a double shot (60ml) of whiskey.
Dr. Christian Appnet of the U.S. National Cancer Institute told WSJ, "It is widely accepted that alcohol is a carcinogen," and pointed out that people who drink 3 to 4 drinks a day have a higher risk of developing cancer.
As the U.S. government begins reviewing the dietary guideline revision, the alcohol industry faces inevitable sales impacts and is on high alert. The industry has invested millions of dollars to persuade lawmakers.
As a result, dozens of U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to the government at the end of last month requesting information related to the dietary guideline revision. Andy Barr, a Republican representative from Kentucky, known as the birthplace of bourbon, criticized, "We do not want arbitrary decisions by related agencies that are not based on sound science." Representative Diana Harshbarger (Republican, Tennessee) pressured the government in April by questioning Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about the reason for operating two advisory panels involving the government and Congress.
The alcohol industry is opposing the government's move by citing studies showing that moderate drinkers sometimes live longer than non-drinkers. Especially in recent years, as the number of Americans who drink alcohol has rapidly declined and more young people seek non-alcoholic beverages, the industry is anxious that the guideline revision could further impact sales.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, the Korean Academy of Family Medicine's Alcohol Research Group has recommended appropriate drinking levels. In 2015, they proposed that men consume no more than two bottles of soju per week and women no more than one bottle as moderate drinking. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, about 25 million people in South Korea currently drink alcohol. Among adults, 70.5% of men and 51.2% of women drink alcohol at least once a month.
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