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Source: About.com

Tuesday July 13, 2010

Alcoholism advocates are up in arms about proposed new USDA dietary guidelines for alcohol consumption that they say will redefine moderate drinking and encourage drinking at a risky level. Moreover, some critics of the proposed guidelines say there is no evidence that moderate drinking is beneficial in the first place.

The advocates are encouraging public comments on the proposed guidelines before the deadline this Thursday, July 15, 2010.

The controversy over the proposed guidelines lie within the differences with the current guidelines, published in 2005. The current guidelines recommend one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. The new guidelines defines moderate alcohol consumption as an average of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drink per day for men with no more than three drinks in any single day for women and no more than four drinks in any single day for men.

‘Serious Risk to the Public’

In other words, under the proposed guidelines, a man could drink up to four drinks at a sitting three times a week and still come under the definition of a moderate drinker.

The Marin Institute, an opponent of the proposed guidelines, said that level of drinking “poses serious risks to the general public” and is just short of recommending binge drinking.

Dr. Tim Naimi, of the Boston Medical Center and an opponent of the new guidelines, said “…the net effect of the proposed change amounts to an endorsement for most men to consume up to 4 drinks and for most women to consume up to 3 drinks on days they actually consume alcohol.”

“Although drinking 4 drinks for men and 3 drinks for women falls just short of thresholds that define ‘binge’ drinking and is not generally pathologic,” Naimi said in a Join Together commentary. “relaxing guidelines that might cause some to increase their drinking to these levels is neither safe nor desirable from a public health perspective.”

More Questions About Guidelines

The proposed guidelines are being questioned on three fronts:

* The Weekly Average – As explained above, the current recommendations of no more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men is a much safer level of alcohol consumption, the experts say.

* No Evidence ‘Moderate’ Drinking is Beneficial – There are no randomized controlled trials that show that moderate drinking provides any health benefits, but there are studies that point to many health risk associated with even moderate drinking.

* Misuse of Public Health Recommendations – Opponents say the alcohol industry has a long history of exploiting dietary guidelines for their benefit and the new recommendations would be a huge gift to their marketing efforts.

The public can submit written comments online about the proposed guidelines before 5:00 pm EDT on July 15, 2010. Use the links below to read the complete guidelines and the objections to them.

Source: About.comTuesday July 13, 2010Alcoholism advocates are up in arms about proposed new USDA dietary guidelines for alcohol consumption that they say will redefine moderate drinking and encourage drinking at a risky level. Moreover, some critics of the proposed guidelines say there is no evidence that moderate drinking is beneficial in the first place.

The advocates are encouraging public comments on the proposed guidelines before the deadline this Thursday, July 15, 2010.  The controversy over the proposed guidelines lie within the differences with the current guidelines, published in 2005. The current guidelines recommend one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men. The new guidelines defines moderate alcohol consumption as an average of up to one drink per day for women and up to two drink per day for men with no more than three drinks in any single day for women and no more than four drinks in any single day for men.

‘Serious Risk to the Public’ In other words, under the proposed guidelines, a man could drink up to four drinks at a sitting three times a week and still come under the definition of a moderate drinker.The Marin Institute, an opponent of the proposed guidelines, said that level of drinking “poses serious risks to the general public” and is just short of recommending binge drinking.

Dr. Tim Naimi, of the Boston Medical Center and an opponent of the new guidelines, said “…the net effect of the proposed change amounts to an endorsement for most men to consume up to 4 drinks and for most women to consume up to 3 drinks on days they actually consume alcohol.”"Although drinking 4 drinks for men and 3 drinks for women falls just short of thresholds that define ‘binge’ drinking and is not generally pathologic,” Naimi said in a Join Together commentary. “relaxing guidelines that might cause some to increase their drinking to these levels is neither safe nor desirable from a public health perspective.”More Questions About GuidelinesThe proposed guidelines are being questioned on three fronts:

• The Weekly Average – As explained above, the current recommendations of no more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men is a much safer level of alcohol consumption, the experts say.
• No Evidence ‘Moderate’ Drinking is Beneficial – There are no randomized controlled trials that show that moderate drinking provides any health benefits, but there are studies that point to many health risk associated with even moderate drinking.
• Misuse of Public Health Recommendations – Opponents say the alcohol industry has a long history of exploiting dietary guidelines for their benefit and the new recommendations would be a huge gift to their marketing efforts.The public can submit written comments online about the proposed guidelines before 5:00 pm EDT on July 15, 2010. Use the links below to read the complete guidelines and the objections to them.

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