ALCOHOL DANGERS: SAFE LEVELS

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ALCOHOL DANGERS: SAFE LEVELS






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 Your nightly glass of wine might not be as harmless as you think.

A sobering new federal report has revealed that even "moderate" drinking could significantly raise your risk of an early death. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, having more than seven drinks a week gives you a 1 in 1,000 chance of alcohol-related death. Push that to nine drinks? Your odds jump to 1 in 100.

These findings challenge what many of us thought we knew about "safe" drinking. While current U.S. guidelines say men can have up to two drinks daily and women one, this new research suggests even those limits might be too generous.

The numbers get even more concerning when you look at specific health risks. For men, just one drink a day increases the risk of esophageal cancer by 51%. Women face a 37% higher chance of liver cirrhosis compared to those who don't drink at all. Both men and women who have three drinks daily are 68% more likely to suffer unintentional injuries than lighter drinkers.

Remember those studies suggesting a glass of wine might help prevent strokes? It turns out those benefits vanish after just two drinks per day. And for people with conditions like hepatitis C, regular drinking poses an even more significant threat to liver health.

The report's timing is crucial. It's one of two studies to help shape the upcoming 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines don't just gather dust on government shelves; they influence everything from food labels to public health policies.

Not everyone is happy about these findings, though. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States has resisted hard, calling the report "biased" and criticizing its process. They've also pointed to potential conflicts of interest among the research panel members and questioned the study's authorization.

We've been here before. In 2020, the Trump administration rejected a similar recommendation to limit everyone to one drink daily. However, Dr. Timothy Naimi, one of the report's authors, suggests these findings underestimate alcohol's dangers, given how difficult it is to study its long-term effects.

"What many people consider 'moderate' drinking may actually be moderately risky," Naimi warns.

Want to weigh in? The government is accepting public comments through February 14, 2025. You can share your thoughts at DietaryGuidelines.gov - a process that could help shape America's future relationship with alcohol.

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