If you enjoy having a drink occasionally, you may want to pay attention to the news out of Canada. It seems as if they are responsible for a report that shows it could be dangerous if you have more than two drinks per week.
The report comes from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. That government agency would like you to avoid drinking altogether, but they are kind enough to allow up to two drinks per week as a maximum for those who want to avoid serious health issues, such as heart disease and cancer.
According to the research authors, the data shows that any amount of alcohol you consume is going to have negative consequences on your health. According to the New York Times, they went on to say: “Drinking alcohol, even a small amount, is damaging to everyone, regardless of age, sex, gender, ethnicity, tolerance for alcohol or lifestyle.”
Back in 2011, The Guardian reports that it was recommended that you have fewer than 15 drinks per week if you were a man or ten drinks or fewer if you’re a woman to be at a low risk. This more recent report is similar to information from the World Health Organization.
Compare the information from the WHO, or the Canadian guidelines to what is available in the United States, and things start to get confusing. In the United States, the CDC recommends that you have no more than two drinks per day if you are a man and no more than one if you are a woman.
According to The Guardian, Peter Butt, one of the panel members of the Canadian guidelines, said it has nothing to do with prohibition. They are just trying to give the evidence in the best way they can to the Canadian public so they can make the proper decision.
The report gave some specific problems associated with having too many drinks, such as developing “several types of cancer including breast and colon cancer” if you have between three and six drinks per week. If you have over seven drinks weekly, your heart disease or stroke risk significantly increases.
On the other hand, they talk about the benefits of not drinking, such as better sleep and better health.
The research is out there, but some criticize is because it fails to consider the pleasure people get from drinking alcohol.