Risks, ‘Moderate Drinking’ Spelled Out

The federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans include two pages on alcohol consumption, most of it discussing risks of drinking and describing who should never drink: children, pregnant women, people who plan to drive.

But the guidelines also note that “moderate drinking” has been shown to lower heart disease in some people.

So what’s moderate drinking?

To the government, moderation is no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men.

A drink is defined as:

Twelve ounces of regular beer;

5 ounces of wine;

1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.