Citation

Rao RT. BMJ 2015; 351: h5082.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bmj.h5082

PMID

26403832

Abstract

How much is it safe to drink? A statement from the Department of Health confirms that "a group of independent experts tasked with developing alcohol guidelines for the UK chief medical officers are currently researching and developing a proposal on these guidelines and expecting to consult on them in autumn 2015" (Department of Health, personal communication, July 2015).

It is 20 years since the Department of Health added daily drinking guidelines of 3-4 units for men and 2-3 for women to the existing 1987 weekly recommendations of 21 units for men and 14 for women. A more recent recommendation of having at least two alcohol-free days a week has only added to the confusion over the complex relationship between alcohol and health, particularly in mixed age populations....

Language: en