A new federal review concludes that consuming more than one drink a day increases the risk of premature death. The draft report was published before Tuesday Major Updates For effective federal guidelines on how much Liquor Americans should drink.
The report states, “In the United States, if men and women consume more than 7 drinks per week, their risk of dying from alcohol consumption is 1 in 1,000. If they consume more than 9 drinks per week, their risk of dying from alcohol consumption is 1 in 1,000. If you consume more drinks, this risk increases to 1 in 100.” The authors concluded, a final draft Published by the Department of Health and Human Services.
This review is one of two written by committees of outside experts to inform this year's update of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The second one has been published. last month By the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The upcoming guidelines are important because the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies often rely on recommendations to justify new regulations, such as how to label food and beverages. men are currently recommended It is advisable to limit intake to more than two drinks per day and women are advised to limit their intake to one drink per day.
“Once you drink more than one drink a day, the risk of dying from alcohol is already above one percent. Some people may think that doesn't sound like much, but in the context of a public health guideline, It will be really, really high,'' said Dr. Timothy Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and one of the report's authors.
Naimy was careful to say that the report “does not support any level of risk” from drinking alcohol, but pointed to other countries and health regulations that have set rules ranging between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000. 1 to 1 death risk is used as the limit.
It is not clear what is coming in trump administration Will incorporate the findings of the latest report into any updated guidelines. Trump administration in 2020 rejected Its outside expert panel recommended limiting drinking alcohol to no more than one serving per day for all Americans, saying “emerging evidence” does not support the move.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade alliance that represents spirits producers, in a statement called on the federal government to reject the panel's findings.
“Today's report is the product of a flawed, opaque and unprecedented process, rife with bias and conflicts of interest,” the statement said, accusing some of the experts on the federal panel of having ties to international anti-alcohol advocacy organizations.
“Congress never authorized or appropriated funding for the panel or its work, and numerous letters from Congress and industry have expressed serious concerns over this process,” the council said.
Alcohol linked to cancer, injuries and deaths from other causes
The report was designed to weigh all the data on a variety of diseases and injuries, and includes a complex web of studies. Health risks from alcohol and benefit in “alcohol-related deaths” estimation.
This modeling is likely to underestimate the true health risks of alcohol, Naimi said, noting how researchers can study its health effects.
The report cautions that risks can also vary widely from person to person, meaning some harms may be too small for some people, even if they add up to substantial risks at a public health level. Be.
“The overall effect of alcohol consumption on mortality from all causes depends on the risk of diseases and injuries that are alcohol-related. These risks are influenced by many factors, including smoking, diet, physical activity, obesity, hepatitis Infections and genetics,” the report said.
The report estimates that by drinking one drink per day, injuries and cancer become the largest contributors to the risk of premature death.
For men, injuries constitute a greater portion of the risk of dying. This includes various types of accidents, road injuries and intentional harm, such as suicide and alcohol-related violence.
Cancer, the next biggest factor, accounted for one-third of the excess risk of death for men.
Among women who consumed one drink per day, the risk of death from cancer was statistically the same or larger than the increased risk of fatal injuries.
The report said the increased risk of several types of cancer – including colorectal, female breast cancer, and cancers of the liver, mouth, throat and esophagus – “begins with any alcohol use and continues with higher levels of use.” Grows.”
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a consultant earlier this month calling for warning About this risk of cancer to be included on Alcoholic beverages.
Liver disease poses the next biggest risk, and can be especially risky for people with other underlying conditions like hepatitis C that make people vulnerable.
One risk that was lower among people who drank alcohol once a day compared to never drinkers was that of ischemic stroke. But that apparent benefit almost disappears at two drinks per day.
“Drinking at a level that many consider moderate may actually be moderately risky or may not be moderate at all in terms of health risks,” Naimi said.