Claims that alcohol is only harmful to health if you drink more than 13 units per day are unsubstantiated
Both the Daily Mail and the Independent reported over the weekend that a bottle of wine a day might not be bad for you. The articles quote a retired Finnish professor, Kari Poikolainen.
Among his reported claims are that moderate drinking is less harmful than being teetotal, and that it?s only after drinking 13 units per day that alcohol is harmful. The Mail claims that UK guidelines are therefore too stringent, as the government currently recommends a maximum of one large glass of wine for women (2-3 units), and slightly more for men (3-4 units), per day.
According to the article, Professor Poikolainen has looked at "decades of evidence" to draw these conclusions. Sadly none of this evidence is mentioned in the article*, and his comments fly in the face of current alcohol guidance from governments and the vast majority of public health scientists.
There has already been criticism of current guidelines for alcohol consumption in the UK. The Royal College of Physicians has written to the government suggesting that guidelines should reflect recent evidence suggesting that frequency of drinking is important in disease risk, rather than simply quantity per day. The recommended daily limits seem to be based on rather old evidence, and a more nuanced guide to alcohol consumption might be more informative to consumers wanting to monitor their drinking.
Code:
http://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2014/apr/22/drinking-wine-health-evidence-alcohol-units
Comment