Dr. Catherine Paradis, interim associate director of research at the Canadian Center for Substance Use and Addiction, said that drinking even two drinks per week is associated with a higher risk of seven types of cancer, including including breast and colon cancer. like cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Paradis, co-chair of the panel that developed the new guidelines, noted that The World Health Organization recently stated that the harms associated with drinking have been “systematically evaluated over many years and are well documented” and that “when it comes to drinking, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”
The good news, the report said, is that any reduction in alcohol consumption is beneficial. This is true even for people who don’t cut back on drinking to low or moderate levels. In fact, people who consume a lot of alcohol reap the benefits by reducing their consumption as much as possible, the report states.
“We have this line: Drink less, live more,” said Dr. Alexander Caudarella, executive director of the Canadian Center for Substance Use and Addiction. “The idea is that any reduction in alcohol intake will significantly reduce your risk.”
The new guidelines differ from the specific drink limits required in other Western countries.
Australiafor example, no more than 10 drinks a week and no more than four on any given day. England recommends drinking no more than six medium glasses of wine or six pints of beer per week. The guide in the United States Ask for two or less drinks a day for men and one or less per day for women.
Canadian health officials say they hope their less prescribing approach will encourage consumers to make healthier choices.
Dr Caudarella said: “The guidelines are really a fundamentally different way of looking at alcohol and say we need to be much more open and transparent about the risks associated with it and what the science has shown. for us. “It really takes it out there in a way that allows people to assess their own level of risk and work towards it.”
