Doubts raised over alcohol guidelinesApril 16, 2008
Safe drinking guidelines that could soon be adopted in Australia have been slammed as flawed and unlikely to have any impact on the problem of binge drinking.
The federal government is reviewing a set of draft guidelines relating to alcohol consumption and health that recommend a more moderate approach to drinking.
The new guidelines, which would replace those issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in 2001, suggest men stick to just two standard drinks a day - down from four - and that pregnant and breastfeeding women cut alcohol out of their diets altogether.
The previous recommendation for pregnant and breastfeeding women was a maximum of one standard drink per day.
For other women, the guidelines have not changed, recommending they have no more than two standard drinks a day.
The aim of the guidelines is to minimise the risk of alcohol-related harm, such as accidents, injuries and disease.
However, a report produced by Access Economics on behalf of the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia said there was a significant lack of evidence-based conclusions in the draft guidelines.
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