Under a new review on alcohol drinking guidelines for the UK, men and women are being advised to take two days alcohol free!

The Department of Health is going to head the first review in 15 years into drinking advice, due to concerns from health and medical professionals, that the current guidelines imply that drinking on a daily basis is healthy.

The new review is aiming to improve the guidelines and not leading to misinterpretation, and will include the suggestion that men and women should go tea-total for at least two days. At the moment the safe drinking guidelines, say that men should not drink anymore than 3 or 4 units of alcohol a day, and that women should drink no more than 2 to 3 units per day. These suggestions were originally introduced in 1995, after the then review stated that high levels of drinking increased cholesterol in blood.

The new review is going to be led by Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer, and is going to include advice from the health departments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.  Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a special adviser on alcohol at the Royal College of Physicians, said “the RCP believes that in addition to quantity, safe alcohol limits must also take into account frequency.”

The Life Dept adds: excessive drinking causes many health problems and life insurance companies will ask during an application about the volume of alcohol you consume.  They will also look for medical conditions related to high drinking e.g. cirrhosis.  Strangely enough applicants for life insurance, critical illness and income protection that answer ‘no’ to ‘do they drink?’ will trigger further investigation as no alcohol consumption may indicate a problem i.e. say a recovering alcoholic.  Heavy drinkers may have a weight problem and your body mass index (BMI) is a ‘rating’ factor.  A healthy BMI, according to the World Cancer Research Fund, is between 18.5 and 25.  Life companies assess your BMI against your age and the type of cover you require i.e. will start loading the premium depending on your BMI and your age.  For example Ageas will take a male, aged 40 to 49, with a BMI of 34 at standard rate for life and critical illness cover but a BMI of 31 for income protection.

Written exclusively for THE LIFE insurance DEPT | 27 Mar 2012 | providers of life insurance, critical illness insurance and income protection cover.