The risk of dying from alcohol-related causes starts even with low average alcohol consumption levels, with higher levels of intake linked to progressively greater mortality risk, a new US federal report has warned.
The draft findings from the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) indicate that in the US, “males and females have a 1 in 1000 risk of dying from alcohol use if they consume more than seven drinks per week”.
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This risk escalates to 1 in 100 if alcohol consumption exceeds nine drinks per week, according to the Alcohol Intake and Health Study.
Men and women have a similar level of risk for alcohol-related health harms, regardless of gender, as consumption levels rise.
Alcohol use is also linked to increased mortality for seven types of cancer, including colorectal, female breast and liver. The risk for these cancers begins with any alcohol use and rises with higher consumption levels, the report said.
Women are also said to face a “much greater risk” of alcohol-attributable cancer per drink consumed.
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By GlobalDataAccording to the US Alcohol Policy Alliance (USAPA), current guidelines advise men to limit themselves to two daily alcoholic drinks or fewer, and women to one daily drink or fewer.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans define “one drink” as 12 ounces of beer (5% alcohol), five ounces of wine (12% alcohol), or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (40% alcohol).
The report is part of two complementary studies on alcohol and health, which will inform the Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2025-2030.
The second is the Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health, published late December by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
Findings from NASEM’s study showed that “with moderate certainty… compared with never consuming alcohol, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality”.
It did however highlight “with moderate certainty” that moderate alcohol consumption was linked to an increased risk of women developing breast cancer.
In terms of developing cardiovascular disease, it said “with low certainty” that “compared with never consuming alcohol” moderate consumption was connected to lower risk of experiencing a heart attack, nonfatal stroke and overall cardiovascular mortality for men and women.
The ICCPUD’s study has received backlash from the drinks industry. A statement co-signed by trade groups as part of the Science Over Bias coalition has called for the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services to reject the findings.
Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), American Cider Association and the Brewers Association were among a list of over 20 agricultural, drinks and hospitality associations that have called for the ICCPUD results to be ignored.
In a statement, the coalition said the report was “the product of a flawed, opaque and unprecedented process, rife with bias and conflicts of interest. Several members of the six-member ICCPUD panel have affiliations with international anti-alcohol advocacy groups, and the panel has worked closely with others connected with these advocates. Congress never authorized or appropriated money for the panel or its work, and numerous letters from Congress and industry have voiced serious concerns over the process.”
They added: “This report heightens our concerns that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations with respect to alcohol will not be based on a preponderance of sound scientific evidence.”
The release of the ICCPUD study follows on from the US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issuing an advisory recommending updates to alcoholic beverage labels to include warnings about the risks of cancer.
Commenting on the ICCPUD report, USAPA board chair Tiffany Hall said: “Combined with the Surgeon General’s recent advisory on alcohol and cancer risk, the evidence is clear and indisputable. The fact that any amount of alcohol is harmful to your health can no longer be ignored”.
