Just one glass of wine a day could put you at risk of cancer and other illnesses later in life, new official guidelines warn.
In the biggest shake-up of alcohol advice in 30 years, Britons are to be told there is no safe level of drinking booze.
The move by the Chief Medical Officer follows new evidence that even small amounts greatly increase the risk of cancer.
However, critics have hit out at the new advice, claiming officials are using 'nanny state' tactics and 'scaremongering' the public.
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In the biggest shake-up of alcohol advice in 30 years, Britons are to be told there is no safe level of drinking booze with even one glass of wine putting individuals at risk of cancer and other illnesses later in their life
Dame Sally Davies is targeting the middle-class, middle-aged who drink several times a week believing they aren't causing themselves any harm.
But research shows drinking regularly – even at low levels – also raises the risk of strokes, heart attacks and liver disease. The key points of her new advice are:
- Men should slash their weekly intake to 14 units – seven pints or seven glasses of wine – bringing them in line with women;
- Pregnant women should not drink at all as they may harm their unborn baby;
- Everyone should have 'several' days off a week to let their livers recover;
- Red wine – or any other alcohol – probably doesn't protect the heart;
- Drink slowly, with food, and alternate alcohol with glasses of water;
- Don't binge drink by saving up your 14 units for one heavy night.
The existing advice was drawn up in 1987, and states that men should not drink more than 21 units a week while women must not exceed 14 units. One unit is less than half a glass of wine or half a pint of beer.
The guidelines were tweaked in 1995 to add maximum daily limits of two to three units for women, and three to four for men. But since then, evidence has emerged linking even small amounts of alcohol to seven different cancers. They include breast cancer, with research finding that one glass of wine a day can raise a woman's risk by 13 per cent.
Other cancers connected to alcohol consumption include bowel, liver, oesophagus, larynx, upper throat and mouth. Research also shows that drinking small amounts, regularly, for ten or 20 years raises the risk of liver disease, heart attacks and strokes.
Dame Sally was asked to review the drinking guidelines by the Government in 2012 over concerns they were too lenient and unsafe.
She convened a group of experts including Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a liver specialist and former president of the Royal College of Physicians, and the Chief Medical Officers of Scotland and Wales. They have spent the last three years examining 28 pieces of evidence looking at alcohol harm and the public's behaviour.
Dame Sally said: 'Drinking any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk for anyone, but if men and women limit their intake to no more than 14 units a week it keeps the risk of illness like cancer and liver disease low.'
However, some experts were quick to criticise the new guidelines.
Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, told the Daily Telegraph: 'Alcohol consumption has been falling for a decade.
'The change to the guidelines will turn hundreds of thousands of people into 'hazardous drinkers' overnight thereby reviving the moral panic about drinking in Britain and opening the door to yet more nanny state interventions.'
Today's guidelines are a draft and they will be consulted on by other experts before the final version is drawn up later this year.
Figures show a fifth of men and one in ten women drink nearly every day, with the middle-aged and middle-class most likely to fall into this category. The existing guidelines imply that as long as they stick within the daily or weekly limits, they will not be putting their health at risk. But the new advice stresses that no level of alcohol is 'safe', and the only way to avoid the long-term risks is to avoid it completely.
Campaigners described the guidelines as a 'nanny state' intervention. Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, said the Chief Medical Officer had ignored evidence that 'shows moderate drinking reduces heart disease risk and, most importantly, reduces the overall risk of death'.
However, Professor Jane Dacre, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the advice would 'help avoid the risks of binge drinking and prevent drinking every day becoming a habit'. She added: 'We as a nation need to move to a healthier approach to alcohol to reduce risks to health and life.'
...And merlot may not help your heart
The new guidelines cast doubt on claims that red wine protects the heart.
For years Britons have been told that one or two glasses a day prevent heart disease.
Red wine is thought to contain antioxidants which slow the ageing process and relax blood vessels.
But the latest advice states it may only be beneficial to women over 55 – not to men. And even then this only applies if it is drunk in small amounts.
The guidelines cast doubt on claims that red wine - which is thought to contain antioxidants - protects the heart
The guidance also points out there may not be any benefit at all.
Studies have shown Britons who drink small amounts live longer than teetotallers. But this may be explained by them being wealthier and in better health.
The Department of Health said researchers at Sheffield University analysed a number of studies showing alcohol only protected the hearts of women over 55.
Even so, this was only for small amounts – less than one unit a day – and they could not be certain it wasn't due to other reasons such as women drinkers being wealthier and in overall better health.
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