A standard glass refers to the quantity of beer, wine or schnapps normally served in a restaurant.
Keystone
Men should drink no more than two glasses of alcoholic beverages a day, women no more than one to keep their health risks low, the new government guidelines have recommended.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/ln
The Federal Commission on Alcohol Issues (EKALExternal link) has revised its recommendations for low-risk alcohol consumption.
The new guidelines, published on Tuesday, replace the recommendations released in 2015.
The commission had heard enough new scientific evidence to update its advice and to lower its recommended low-risk drinking limit.
According to the recommendations, healthy men should drink no more than two standard glasses of alcohol per day, women one at most.
In 2015, the advice was that men could drink three glasses per day with minimal risk.
A standard glass refers to the quantity of beer, wine or schnapps normally served in a restaurant.
Such a standard serving would usually contain between 10 and 12 grams of pure alcohol, EKAL wrote in its report.
The experts also suggest having at least two or more alcohol-free days every week.
Alcohol consumption should be adapted to one’s physical and mental health.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women and those planning to have a baby were advised to abstain from drinking completely.
The same abstinence advice goes for young people under the age of sixteen.
Alcohol, from the first glass, lowers people’s power of perception and reaction time.
In Switzerland, some 4% of people over the age of fifteen regularly drink in excess, according to figures by the Federal Office of Public Health.
Every fifth person in Switzerland engages in particularly risky binge drinking, categorised as the consumption of at least five (for men) or four (for women) alcoholic beverages within the space of a few hours.
The Federal Commission on Alcohol Issues advises the Swiss government on questions related to the direct and indirect effects of alcohol consumption.
More
More
The Swiss are drinking more wine, much of it produced at home
Swiss central banker wants to boost equity to head off risks
This content was published on
Equity levels at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) are much too low for the risks its large balance sheet poses, according to Martin Schlegel.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Swiss brewery defends choice of Nepalese monarch on beer bottle
This content was published on
A brewery in Zurich had no idea that choosing a former Nepalese king to grace a seasonal beer would cause a diplomatic row.
This content was published on
The amount of beer consumed in Switzerland declined last year, as it did for wine. Yet the number of specialist microbreweries continues to rise.
This content was published on
The average Swiss drank 7.9 litres of pure alcohol last year, down from 8.1 litres in 2014 and 2015. That’s the lowest figure in over 70 years.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.