iStockphoto
Audio By Carbonatix
Most people who consume alcohol on a regular basis are aware it’s a good idea to drink in moderation. Health officials in the United States currently suggest limiting yourself to a couple of adult beverages a day, but that may not be the case for much longer based on a report concerning upcoming changes to those guidelines.
As someone who firmly enjoys the act of imbibing, I’m also firmly aware I’m literally signing up to willingly pour poison down my throat whenever I have a drink. I’m also no stranger to the short and long-term repercussions that come with failing to exercise some restraint—consequences that health officials in the United States and beyond have attempted to make sure the public is aware of.
As things currently stand, the official Dietary Guidelines for Americans state men should limit themselves to two alcoholic drinks per day (defined as one 12-oz. beer, a five-oz. glass of wine, or a 1.5-oz. serving of hard liquor), while women should stop at a single serving.
If you can’t do some elementary math, that adds up to 14 a week for guys and 7 for members of the opposite gender, and while there are plenty of people who don’t have any trouble staying under those lines, there are also plenty of others who leap over them on a regular basis.
According to Reuters, that may not be the case for much longer, as the outlet spoke with multiple sources who say the people responsible for publishing those guidelines (a joint venture between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture) are gearing up to eliminate the preexisting cap in favor of a vaguer approach that simply stresses moderation and a “limited” but otherwise undefined intake of alcohol.
Reuters notes some major players in the alcohol industry have dropped a serious amount of dough to lobby health officials to adopt a less stringent approach and added there’s a chance a specific cap could still be included in an appendix to the new guidelines (which are expected to be released within the next few weeks).
There are plenty of studies that have suggested the consumption of certain types of beer and wine in moderation can have beneficial effects, although there’s also no shortage of medical professionals who would tell you that abstaining entirely is preferable to the alternative to any degree.