Key Terms

“Absolute risk refers to the rate at which a disease (or mortality from that disease) occurs in the general population. Absolute risk is expressed as the number of cases in a specific group within a specific time period (for example, 50 cases of a given disease per 100,000 Americans occur annually) or as a cumulative risk up to a certain age.”

Resource date 2000  
Accessed 01/20/22  

“The percentage of pure alcohol, expressed here as alcohol by volume (alc/vol), varies within and across beverage types.”

Accessed 01/20/22  

“Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. It encompasses the conditions that some people refer to as alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction, and the colloquial term, alcoholism. Considered a brain disorder, AUD can be mild, moderate, or severe. Lasting changes in the brain caused by alcohol misuse perpetuate AUD and make individuals vulnerable to relapse.”

Accessed 01/20/22

“all-cause mortality (or death from all causes)”

Resource date 03/24/2020
Accessed 01/20/22

“The amount of alcohol in a person’s body, measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood.”

Accessed 01/20/22

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines binge drinking as 5 or more alcoholic drinks for males or 4 or more alcoholic drinks for females on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past month.

Accessed 01/20/22

The set of federal recommendations published every 5 years by the USDA, intended to help Americans make healthy dietary choices

Accessed 01/20/22

“Distilled spirits. Ethyl alcohol, hydrated oxide of ethyl, spirits of wine, whisky, rum, brandy, gin, and other distilled spirits, including all dilutions and mixtures thereof, for nonindustrial use. The term distilled spirits shall not include mixtures containing wine, bottled at 48 degrees of proof or less, if the mixture contains more than 50 percent wine on a proof gallon basis. The term distilled spirits also does not include products containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume.”

Accessed 01/20/22

“Ethyl Alcohol – Synonyms & Trade Names Alcohol, Cologne spirit, Ethanol, EtOH, Grain alcohol”

Accessed 01/20/22

“The 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee conducted a review on the topic of alcohol intake and coronary heart disease, and concluded that “strong evidence consistently demonstrates that compared to non-drinkers, individuals who drink moderately have lower risk of coronary heart disease.”134 Since that time, observational studies and meta analyses of observational studies have affirmed that the “J-shaped curve” for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke demonstrates higher risk among those who do not consume alcohol compared with those who consume low volumes of alcohol, followed by higher risk among those consuming progressively higher amounts of alcohol.135,136 However, a relatively new type of study design, referred to as MR or genetic randomization studies, has resulted in evidence that challenges previous conclusions about the protective association between low average consumption and CVD.”

“Average Light–to–Moderate Drinking. The most comprehensive meta–analysis on average consumption and CHD found that this relationship was represented by a J–shaped curve (see the accompanying figure below) (Corrao et al. 2000). That is, compared with abstinence from alcohol, low–to–moderate average consumption of alcohol is associated with lower risk for CHD incidence and mortality, the lowest risk being found at 20 grams per day.”

Accessed 01/20/22
NIH – 2003
DGs – 2020

“Low alcohol and reduced alcohol. The terms “low alcohol” or “reduced alcohol” may be used only on malt beverages containing less than 2.5 percent alcohol by volume.”  

Accessed 01/20/22

“Malt beverage, under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act) and the TTB regulations, means a beverage, which may be alcoholic, non-alcoholic, or alcohol-free, made by the alcoholic fermentation of an infusion or decoction, or combination of both, in potable brewing water, of: malted barley and hops (or their parts or products)AND, with or without: other malted cereals; unmalted or prepared cereals; other carbohydrates (or products prepared therefrom);carbon dioxide; and other wholesome products suitable for human food consumption.”

Accessed 01/20/22

“the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is consumed.”

Accessed 01/20/22

“A study in which the participants are divided by chance into separate groups that compare different treatments or other interventions. Using chance to divide people into groups means that the groups will be similar and that the effects of the treatments they receive can be compared more fairly. At the time of the trial, it is not known which treatment is best.”

Resource date 2000
Accessed 01/20/22

“A second type of risk, relative risk, is used to define the strength of a relationship between a risk factor, such as alcohol intake, and the occurrence of disease. A relative risk of 1.0 is the benchmark against which risk factors or protective effects are measured”

Resource date 2000
Accessed 01/20/22

Packaged beverages sold in a prepared form, ready for consumption.

“In the United States, one “standard” drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in:
12 ounces of regular beer, which is usually about 5% alcohol
5 ounces of wine, which is typically about 12% alcohol
1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, which is about 40% alcohol”

Accessed 01/20/22