With new alcohol consumption guidelines, here's why experts say standard drink labelling is key

Major changes to Canada's drinking guidelines Dr. Marla Shapiro breaks down the new recommendations from the CCSA says Canadians should stick to a maximum of two drinks per week.

Following the release of new alcohol consumption guidelines by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) on Tuesday, health experts say mandatory labelling on alcoholic beverages plays a key role in raising awareness around the negative health impacts of drinking alcohol.

In addition to new recommendations on the number of alcoholic drinks Canadians should consume in one week, the CCSA’s updated guidelines also call on Health Canada to require labels on all alcoholic beverages. These labels would include details on the number of standard drinks in a container, as well as health warnings.

“People have the right to know,” CCSA CEO Dr. Alexander Caudarella told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. “It doesn't mean that they’re going to eliminate the risk entirely, it just means that … they have a right to make informed and free decisions.”

Awareness around alcohol-related health risks remains poor in Canada, said Kara Thompson, associate professor of psychology at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Thompson was also one of the consultants involved in developing the new guidelines.

Knowing how many drinks are in a beverage bottle or a can will allow people to count their drinks more easily, she said.

“We hope that we're giving people information that they can use to make more informed choices about their drinking and reduce their alcohol-related harms,” she told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

This is the first time the CCSA’s low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines have been updated since 2011. According to the new recommendations, Canadians should aim to consume no more than two standard drinks per week in order to avoid serious health consequences.

Consuming three to six drinks per week is associated with moderate health risks, and increases a person’s chances of developing cancers such as those affecting the colon and breast. Meanwhile, consuming seven or more drinks per week comes with a high risk of negative health outcomes, including heart disease and stroke.

In Canada, a standard drink is considered one of the following: 12 oz. of beer with five per cent alcohol, five oz. of wine with 12 per cent alcohol, or 1.5 oz. of hard liquor with 40 per cent alcohol.

Previous guidelines outlined by the CCSA on low-risk alcohol consumption suggested a maximum of 10 drinks per week for women and 15 drinks per week for men. These recommendations also form the basis of Health Canada’s alcohol drinking guidelines.

Given the links to cancer, the Canadian Cancer Society (CSS) is also calling on the federal government to implement mandatory labelling on alcoholic beverages, said Elizabeth Holmes, senior manager of health policy at the CSS. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, notes the CCSA.

“Over 40 per cent of Canadians are not aware that alcohol increases cancer risk,” she told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. “The less alcohol you drink, the lower your cancer risk.”

Even moderate drinking is associated with increased cancer risk, said Holmes.

However, for those who reduce their alcohol consumption, this may result in some benefits down the road, said Thompson.

“There is some evidence that reduction in alcohol use will reverse some of the damaging effects of alcohol,” she said.

CHANGES TO ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION REQUIRE A CULTURAL SHIFT: EXPERT

Over the last 12 years, scientific evidence around the impacts of alcohol consumption has changed dramatically, said Caudarella. The latest guidelines stem from a report published by the CCSA in August 2022, which is based on two years of research and more than 5,000 peer-reviewed studies.

While this has prompted changes to the CCSA’s latest guidelines, there must also be a shift in thinking around the health risks posed by alcohol consumption, said Caudarella.

“There can't be a line we've drawn in the sand anymore, below which we can guarantee safety,” he said. “There is no entirely safe amount.”

Additionally, reducing consumption may be challenging due to the cultural role alcohol plays as part of social networking, Thompson said. In order to facilitate this cultural shift, the federal government must also play a role, she said.

“We know that when alcohol is cheap and readily available, people drink more,” she said. “So introducing better regulations on things like marketing and advertising, on alcohol availability and pricing, as well as these warning labels can really help shift the culture in a positive direction.”

With files from CTVNews.ca’s Tom Yun and The Canadian Press