The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has changed its long-standing guidelines on health risks from drinking alcohol.
In a statement, the NHMRC said the aim of the new guidelines was to provide better advice about the health risks so that Australians could make informed decisions on alcohol consumption.
“The guidelines have been developed using the most recent and best available evidence on the health effects of alcohol consumption,” the Council said.
To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day. The less you drink, the lower your risk of harm from alcohol.”
It says that in order to reduce the risk of injury and other harms to health, children and people under 18 years of age should not drink alcohol at all.
“To prevent harm from alcohol to their unborn child, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol,” the NHMRC said.
“For women who are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for their baby,” it said.
Further information on the revised guidelines can be accessed on the NHMRC website at this PS News link.
