US to reevaluate alcohol guidelines as health risks grow: Report

One alcoholic drink a day increases chance of premature death, but then a glass of red wine could help your health

And in Belgium, men are told they can have up to 21 drinks per week

Woman? 14. So what is the truth? Okay, sorry, I got a little carried away, but if you're feeling confused by all the mixed messages around alcohol, you are not alone

And now, as Reuters reports that the U.S. government is preparing to release new dietary guidelines

you might be wondering what to actually believe. According to an exclusive Reuters report, a new version of the dietary guidelines for Americans could be released as early as this month

Sources say it will likely encourage Americans to drink in moderation or limit alcohol entirely in comparison to limiting drinks to a couple per day

But internationally, the guidance is all over the place. The European Commission outlines low risk drinking guidelines by country and they're anything but uniform

In Germany they recommend two alcohol free days a week with a max of two drinks per day for men and one for women In Ireland it still two dry days but up to 17 standard drinks a week for men and 11 for women Lithuania they simply recommend avoiding alcohol altogether

But over in Australia, their 2020 guidelines limit both men and women to 10 drinks a week

The definition of a drink varies by country, too. One professor told The Guardian in 2023 that while recommended limits are decreasing globally, they'll probably never hit zero

calling alcohol our drug much like tobacco. Every bit of alcohol you take does cause damage to you

Dr. Michael Caldwell told Straight Arrow News last year there is no level of alcohol that's good for human consumption

And earlier this year, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned that alcohol increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer

He also called it the third leading cause of preventable cancer in the U.S

So the next time you see a headline about red wine boosting heart health, the research may not be wrong, but scientists are still unpacking the full story of how alcohol impacts our bodies

For more health news, head over to our app or san.com. I'm Kennedy Felton with Stray Arrow News