New alcohol guidelines recommend no more than two drinks a week

By Brett Lubkiwski

If you believe having a glass of red wine with dinner every night can be beneficial for your health, you may want to think again.

That’s according to new guidelines released by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addictions (CCSA).

Dr. Daniel Myran, a physician who works with addictions, spoke to Gormley to talk about the misconceptions about alcohol consumption.

“Previously, people might say, ‘Oh, I’m having a drink a day and that’s good for my health,’ and the guidance that we’re providing is that it’s not good for your health, it’s increasing your risk,” Myran said.

The new CCSA guidelines recommend no more than two standard drinks per week to avoid putting your health at risk, with those consuming between three and six drinks per week being at moderate risk.

A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer with five per cent alcohol, five ounces of wine at 12 per cent, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor at 40 per cent.

“Since those previous guidelines, there’s been much better evidence that there is no protective effect. So a glass of red wine a day is not stopping you from having a heart attack,” Myran said.

Myran added a drink a day can actually lead to a higher risk of things like stroke, high blood pressure or even cancer.

The CCSA’s new guidelines are also calling on Health Canada to mandate labels on bottles of alcohol to inform consumers of the potential health risks.

“It’s really remarkable that you don’t have warning labels (on alcohol). Other products that come with cancer risk almost universally have warning labels,” Myran said.

Myran said the warning labels are not about trying to scare Canadians but instead informing them of the risks that alcohol can have.

“It’s not telling people what to do, it’s treating Canadians as adults and saying, ‘You have the right to understand what’s in the product you’re taking and what the health risks are,’ ” Myran said.

For people who are more frequent drinkers, Myran advised them not to feel upset or minimized by the new guidelines.

“There’s a very clear dose response where if you’re drinking 14 drinks a week, it’s much riskier than drinking 10 drinks a week. I would encourage people who are worried about their health to consider how to reduce the amount they’re drinking,” Myran said.

The new CCSA guidelines are a big difference from what the centre had previously recommended, which was a maximum of 15 drinks per week for men and 10 drinks per week for women to be low-risk for major health issues.

There’s already a level of understanding in Canada about risks with alcohol, but Myran believes it’s mostly when it comes to alcohol use disorders and not other health risks.

“What there’s not a good understanding of is that even low levels of drinking actually comes with considerable health risks, that you are putting yourself at risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and that’s what I think Canadians are not aware of,” he said.

The alcohol industry in Canada is pushing back on the idea of warning labels, saying they would be unnecessary because the industry encourages consumers to drink responsibly already.