There is a “substantial amount of risk” for people drinking lower levels of alcohol, according to a new report from Ireland’s Health Information and Quality Authority, with “minimal” difference in risk between sexes.
“For premature mortality, the estimated lifetime risk is approximately 1 in 1,000 at around 5g/day [6.25ml/day] and 1 in 100 at around 18g/day [22.5ml/day] for men, and approximately 1 in 1,000 at around 4g/day [5ml/day] and 1 in 100 at around 16g/day [20ml/day] for women,” the report says.
The report is intended to inform an update to Ireland’s current low-risk alcohol guidelines of 137.5ml of alcohol a week for women and 212.5ml for men. These are typically expressed in Irish “standard drinks”, which are 12.5ml each.
The UK’s low-risk guidelines were set at 140ml a week for both men and women ten years ago. ■