Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol
Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans set by the Department of
Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, CSAP has
developed the following guidelines on alcohol consumption.
Adults who are considering drinking alcoholic beverages should have
only low-risk drinking as a goal, if they choose to drink. The lowest
risk is not to drink, which should always be acceptable. Adult women who
elect to drink should limit their consumption to no more than one drink
per day. Men who elect to drink should limit their consumption to no more
than two drinks per day. Underage youth should not drink.
These circumstances place drinkers at high risk for health, social,
and/or legal consequences:
If underage;
If pregnant, nursing, or trying to conceive;
If driving or engaging in other activities that require attention,
judgment or skill;
If taking medication that interacts with alcohol;
If recovering from alcohol or other drug dependence;
If drinking to intoxication;
If drinking cannot be done in moderation.
Although not specifically addressed by the guideline, alcohol use also
is contrindicated for people with certain medical conditions such as
peptic ulcer. The existence of spearate guidelines for men and women
reflects research findings that women become more intoxicated than men a
the equivalent dos of alcohol due to the size of their bodies in
relationship to men.
Reference
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Department of Health and Human
Services and Department of Agriculture (1992)
