GPs disagree with revised UK alcohol guidelines

The majority of UK GPs disagree with the UK chief medical officer that there is “no safe level of alcohol consumption”, according to an independent survey carried out by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

Of the 1,006 GPs surveyed by medeConnect on behalf of Camra, 60% said they either “strongly” or “somewhat” disagree within the statement: “There is no safe level of alcohol consumption”. This compared to 30% who said they strongly or somewhat agree with the statement.

The survey also found that almost two thirds (63%) of the GPs agreed that moderate alcohol consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle. This compared to 23% who disagreed that moderate alcohol could be part of a healthy lifestyle.

Earlier this year the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, issued new alcohol guidance that recommended both men and women should drink no more than 14 units a week – the equivalent of six pints of average strength beer or seven glasses of wine a week.

However Dame Davies also stated that there was “no safe level of alcohol consumption”, with a single glass of wine serving to increase the risk of cancer.

The new guidelines were also criticised for being “out of line” with Europe, where recommended alcohol limits are much higher. Compared to the UK’s 14 units, the US advises 24.5, France 26, Italy 31.5 and Spain 35 units a week.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), criticised the government’s lack of consultation with the trade regarding the new guidelines, which have made producers’ recent efforts to improve unit labelling on their products pointless given that such labelling is now inaccurate.

Various UK trade bodies, including the Portman Group, the British Beer and Pub Association and the WSTA are now looking to challenge the guidelines. CAMRA is now calling on the Department of Health to launch a full public consultation into whether the new alcohol health guidelines are fit for purpose and “adequately supported by evidence”.

“We made the observation when the new guidelines were published that the Chief Medical Officers had ignored evidence which showed that moderate drinking can have a beneficial effect,” said CAMRA’s national chairman, Colin Valentine.

“Only recently, we commissioned a report from Oxford University ‘Friends on Tap’ which found that those who had frequented a local pub were happier, healthier and felt more integrated in their communities than those without. Furthermore, research has shown that the mortality rate of moderate drinkers is lower than those who abstain altogether. It therefore is no surprise that this survey has illustrated that GPs overwhelmingly believe that a moderate consumption of alcohol can be part of a good and healthy lifestyle.”