The New Zealand Alcohol and Beverage Council (NZABC) have released a response regarding the Heart Foundations' recent claims that there is ‘No Safe level’ of drinking beer, wine, or spirits.
“Statements by the Heart Foundation that there is “No Safe Level” of drinking beer, wine or spirits is, at worse, untrue and at best misleading”, said NZABC Executive Director Virginia Nicholls.
Nicholls continued that the statements released by the Heart Foundation flew in the face of over 40 years of independent scientific research.
“For adults who choose to drink, this sweeping statement doesn’t guide them on individual health risks in everyday life.”
Nicholl said that hundreds of peer-reviewed studies since the 1970s reported that light and moderate drinkers tend to live at least as long, or longer, than non-drinkers, adding that recent studies showed this relationship held even when separating former drinkers from lifetime abstainers.
“Everyone must evaluate the risks they face each day to inform their personal choices, from the foods they eat to the activities they enjoy and, of course, anyone with questions should speak to their healthcare professionals better to understand the impact of drinking on their health.”
The NZABC stated that claiming that any level of drinking for anyone, however low, is harmful defies common sense for the 81 percent of adults who choose to drink beer, wine and spirits in moderation.
“Most adults who choose to drink do so in moderation, and for most adults, any risk posed by the moderate consumption of alcohol is low, although, for some people, the better choice may be not to drink at all.”
The beer, wine and spirits industry refuted claims by the Heart Foundation that low and no-alcohol products are being used to reach young people and attract them to the category.
The NZABC are seeing changing trends with New Zealanders turning to low and no-alcohol beverages.
According to a poll of 1,250 New Zealanders from December 2022, 56 percent (up from 47 percent in the preceding year) of respondents drank at least some of the time and some preferred low-alcohol beverages.
Research has informed the NZABC that most New Zealanders drink responsibly. New Zealanders are drinking 25 percent less now than in the late 1970s. Further, harmful drinking, particularly among younger drinkers, has also fallen.
“The Heart Foundation statement analysis is largely based on a report by the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse released in January. This study attracted criticism at the time”.
Nicholls said substantial scientific evidence was not cited in the Heart Foundation Position Statement. For instance, the WHO’s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health recognises low-level consumption's beneficial effects on some CVD outcomes.
“For ischaemic stroke and diabetes mellitus, the AAFs were negative, meaning that alcohol consumption has a beneficial effect on these diseases.”
The World Heart Federation issued a similar position statement last year. It is important to note that the heart foundations in the UK and USA continue to reflect low-risk drinking guidelines issued by governments and do not take the “no safe level” approach.
