Australia unlikely to follow Canada in slashing alcohol consumption guidelines

Australian health authorities are unlikely to change current alcohol consumption guidelines from 10 standard drinks a week, despite Canadian officials now recommending just two tipples over the same period.

Canada released new guidelines this week recommending its citizens drink no more than two standard drinks a week to prevent the risk of illness and disease, such as cancer.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction cut down its advice from a previous recommendation of no more than 10 drinks for women a week and 15 drinks for men, warning that even moderate drinking poses serious health risks.

According to the Cancer Council, alcohol increases the risk of eight different types of cancer, including breast, bowel, stomach and mouth.

At the beginning of January, the World Health Organization released a statement in health journal the Lancet that said evidence showed there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption.

It pointed to a study published in 2021 that found light to moderate alcohol consumption in the European Union, which is the equivalent of two standard drinks a day in Australia, was associated with almost 23,000 new cancer cases in 2017.

Almost half of the cases were breast cancers in females, and a third of cases were associated with drinking one standard drink a day.

They added that the guidelines, which were last reviewed in 2020, are by a group of independent health experts and include reviews on the health effects of drinking alcohol as well as Australian drinking patterns.

Part of the issue, he said, is the battle between what public health organisations think is acceptable and what the alcohol industry wants.

When it was recommended Australia put health warning labels on alcohol beverages two years ago, Kuntsche said the compromise with the alcohol industry was that the label specifically warn pregnant women of the risks rather than risk factors for the broader community.