{"id":3299,"date":"2019-02-05T15:05:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/alcohol_binge_drinking\/"},"modified":"2020-08-20T14:14:56","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T14:14:56","slug":"alcohol_binge_drinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/alcohol_binge_drinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Why nutrition labeling on alcoholic beverages can reduce binge drinking – National Consumers League"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"\"Shaunice Wall is NCL’s\u00a0Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition Fellow<\/em><\/p>\n

Alcohol<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2013 like everything else we eat and drink<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u2013 is best enjoyed in moderation. If\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>consumed<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to excess,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>drinking alcoholic beverages can lead to addiction<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>increased risk of certain\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>chronic<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>diseases<\/span><\/span>, but also weight gain, because these\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>drinks are\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>often\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>dense in calories<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>devoid of nutrients<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One of the problems consumers face, however, is that there is virtually no information on\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>nutritional content in the alcohol<\/span>ic<\/span>\u00a0beverages they consume. NCL has been working to change this for\u00a0<\/span>more than<\/span>\u00a030 years,\u00a0<\/span>but\u00a0<\/span>progress\u00a0<\/span>on this front\u00a0<\/span>has been\u00a0<\/span>very\u00a0<\/span>disappointing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Does lack of a label cause binge drinking? Of course not, but\u00a0<\/span>evidence indicates that c<\/span>aloric and nutritional labeling encourages healthier choices when consumers read and understand the labels.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is binge drinking anyway?<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0
<\/span>The\u202fNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism\u202fdefines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person\u2019s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. For men, it means consuming 5 or more drinks \u2013 and for women \u2013 it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>consuming 4<\/span>\u00a0or more drinks in about 2 hours.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A \u201cdrink\u201d defined<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0
<\/span>A<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>drink<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201d refers to half an ounce of alcohol (<\/span><\/span>e.g.,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>12<\/span><\/span>oz. beer,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>5<\/span><\/span>oz. glass of wine, or a 1.5oz. shot of distilled spirits).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>
<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact of alcohol consumption and binge drinking<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015,\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>he National Survey on Drug Use and Health report<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span>86.4 percent<\/span>\u00a0of people in the\u00a0<\/span>United States<\/span>\u00a0age<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a018 or older drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0<\/span>U.S.\u00a0<\/span>Center<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0for Disease Control,\u00a0<\/span>binge drinking<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of\u202f<\/span>excessive alcohol use<\/span>\u202fin the\u00a0<\/span>U<\/span>nited\u00a0States. More than one in six U.S. adults, or 38 million people, are binge drinkers, and they binge an average of four times a month.<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span>n 2010, alcohol consumption<\/span>\u00a0cost<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>America an estimated<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>$249 billion<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in workplace productivity<\/span>\u00a0losses<\/span>, health care expenditures, criminal justice costs, and other expenses — binge drinking was responsible for 77<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>percent<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of these costs, or $191 billion.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Some nutritional consequences of binge drinking<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0
<\/span>In 2018,\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>study<\/span>\u00a0funded by the National Institute<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0of Health<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>found\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>young adults who frequently binge drink were more likely to have\u00a0<\/span>cardiovascular risk factors<\/span>, including higher blood pressure, cholesterol<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and blood sugar at a younger age than non-binge<\/span>rs<\/span>. In addition to malabsorption of several nutrients in the gut, binge drinkers are\u00a0<\/span>at risk of\u00a0<\/span>malnutrition<\/span>\u00a0because alcohol contains calories that may substitute for those in more nutritious foods.\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>nother more common consequence of binge drinking is weight gain<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>which in turn contributes to the nation\u2019s obesity epidemic.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The link between alcohol and obesity<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers suggest a\u00a0<\/span>positive<\/span>\u00a0correlation between calories derived from alcohol and obesity. Alcohol\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>has an\u00a0<\/span>effect on hunger levels and food preferences.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alcohol cannot be stored in the body, however, its conversion to\u00a0<\/span>acetate<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in the liver and subsequent release into the bloodstream inhibits the amount of fat the body burns.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem with binge drinking and misleading nutrition labels<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>pint of beer may contain as much as<\/span>\u00a0200 calories – the same as a doughnut. Yet, in the United Kingdom, one study fou<\/span>nd that 85 percent of the population is unaware of or underestimates calories from alcohol. This problem is universal, and–in the United States–this is due in part to misleading nutrition labeling proposals by the U.S. Treasury Department\u2019s Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which regulates and collects taxes on trade and imports of alcohol.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

L<\/span><\/strong>abeling of alcohol can reduce binge drinking<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As noted above,\u00a0<\/span>one<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>strategy<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>increase awareness and reduce the risk of excessive alcohol use is to label alcoholic beverages<\/span>\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span>serving<\/span>\u00a0facts<\/span>. Listing the ingredients\u00a0<\/span>alerts\u00a0<\/span>consumer<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0to the presence of any potentially harmful or problematic substances<\/span> while\u00a0<\/span>providing nutritional information<\/span>\u2013<\/span>such as energy content<\/span>\u2013<\/span>allows consumers to monitor their diets\u00a0<\/span>and makes it easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact that such a move could have was illustrated by a small\u00a0<\/span>experiment<\/span>\u00a0conducted in a UK pub, in which customers presented with calori<\/span>c<\/span>\u00a0information consumed on average 400 fewer calories than those<\/span>\u00a0who had\u00a0<\/span>access to\u00a0<\/span>no such information.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Obstacles\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>for<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0nutrition labeling of alcohol in the\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>U<\/span><\/strong>nited States<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Labeling\u00a0<\/span>requirements for alcoholic beverages are\u00a0<\/span>woefully inadequate.\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span>proposals\u00a0<\/span>offered by\u00a0<\/span>TTB<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are too little<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and they don\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>upport<\/span>\u00a0public health<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2003, a petition by several special interest groups (including NCL) to\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>T<\/span>B<\/span>, claimed that there were\u00a0<\/span>substantial disparities<\/span>\u00a0in the labeling requirements applicable to different kinds of alcoholic beverages.\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>ine and distilled spirits\u00a0<\/span>labels\u00a0<\/span>are required<\/span>\u00a0to reveal the beverages\u2019 alcohol concentration \u2013 expressed as a percentage of alcohol by volume (additional proof-level statements are optional) \u2013 but labeling alcohol content on beer and other malt beverages is entirely optional. Only those alcoholic beverages that make nutritional claims, such as \u201clight\u201d or \u201clite\u201d beers<\/span>\u00a0must disclose calorie content and certain nutrition information.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u00a0<\/span>has<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>been\u00a0<\/span>no rationale<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>publis<\/span>hed\u00a0<\/span>by TTB\u00a0<\/span>for these differences.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The National Consumers League\u2019s\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>petition\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0
<\/span>NCL, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and 67 other organizations\u00a0<\/span>continue to advocate for<\/span>\u00a0mandatory content and nutritional label<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>on all alcoholic beverages.\u00a0<\/span>While it may not eradicate<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>binge\u00a0<\/span>drinking,<\/span>\u00a0consumers<\/span>\u00a0who want to\u00a0<\/span>consume<\/span>\u00a0alcohol in moderation deserve to know what<\/span>\u2019s in that drink. A label\u00a0<\/span>like the<\/span>\u00a0Nutrition and Supplement Facts\u00a0<\/span>on alcoholic beverages\u00a0<\/span>is long overdu<\/span>e.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shaunice Wall is NCL’s\u00a0Linda Golodner Food Safety and Nutrition Fellow Alcohol\u00a0\u2013 like everything else we eat and drink\u00a0\u2013 is best enjoyed in moderation. If\u00a0consumed\u00a0to excess,\u00a0drinking alcoholic beverages can lead to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13622,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3299"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3299"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13649,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3299\/revisions\/13649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nclnet.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}