The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans underscored the definition of a standard drink and urged that the Alcohol Guideline be used as the basis for nutrition advice and public policy.
The guidelines define a drink as 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (40% ABV), 5 ounces of wine (12% ABV) and 12 ounces of regular beer (5% ABV). They point out that each of these standard drinks contains 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol.
“The Government today emphasized the scientific fact that a standard drink of beer, wine and distilled spirits each contains the same mount of alcohol,” said Dr. Monica Gourovitch, Distilled Spirits Council Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs. She also added that “the Dietary Guidelines serve as the basis for nutrition policy in the United States and should also serve as the basis for all alcohol-related public policy at the federal and state levels. Alcohol is alcohol and it all should be treated equally, as a matter of public healthy and public policy.”
The 2010 guidelines define moderate drinking for adults of legal drinking age as up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Some people should not drink alcohol beverages at all. They also discuss the potential risks and benefits associated with alcohol consumption, which are all the same for beer, wine, or distilled spirits.
To view the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans go to http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf.
