Current health advice on safe drinking is out of date because of superstrength beer and cider.
A new study on beer and cider sold in Irish supermarkets found brands routinely sold which are much stronger than the nominal 4.3% alcohol by volume assumed in HSE advice.
It looked at 359 beers and 80 ciders in five mainstream supermarkets in the Munster region – SuperValu, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Dunnes Stores.
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The study showed the alcohol content of various beers on sale across the outlets ranged from 3.0% to 8.5% with products showing 35 different strengths.
The figure ranged from 4% to 6% for cider products with nine different strengths. The study by academics at Technological University of the Shannon, Limerick and University College Cork also found wide variation in the volumes of beer and cider available.
Beer products were sold in 12 different size bottles and cans, and cider in five.The study said: “It is clear that the HSE’s standard health promotion guidance may substantially underestimate the volume of alcohol, and hence the danger, in beer and cider that is routinely for sale in Ireland.” It claimed the variety in the strengths of alcohol on sale in beer and cider products was also “highly problematic”.
When combined with the substantial diversity in container sizes, the study said “even the most mathematically adept individuals might struggle to calculate their unit alcohol consumption”.
One unit is half a pint of beer or cider, or one glass of wine or a shot of spirits.
The recommended safe level has been reduced in recent years from 21 units per week to 17 for males and from 14 to 11 units per week for females.
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