The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR), which form the scientific basis for Swedish dietary advice, have not been updated for a decade. When they are now presented in their final form, it is not only health that is in focus – but also the planet.
It is noticeable when NNR clearly emphasizes plant-based food over animal foods. But the big watershed in the spring nutrition debate is not the food – but the alcohol.
Drink a little – preferably not at all
The alcohol recommendations have been out for consultation in the spring, following the WHO’s initial advice, which took a rare restrictive line. The WHO’s Institute for Cancer Research, IARC, then determined that alcohol is the second biggest cancer risk after tobacco.
Now the NNR also says that there is no safe limit for consumption and that everyone “should avoid alcohol intake.”
In the new report it is established that alcohol is a toxic substance that affects all the body’s organs. It is also stated that there is “strong evidence that can link alcohol consumption to various forms of cancer, especially breast cancer”.
– Alcohol is not an essential nutrient, and from a nutritional point of view the energy contribution from a high intake of alcoholic beverages negatively affects the quality of the diet, says Anne Høyer-Lund, senior advisor at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, who was involved in developing the advice.
Criticized breastfeeding advice is scrapped
On the other hand, the previously criticized advice that breastfeeding should completely abstain from alcohol is deleted as it is not possible to rule out risks for the child.
But the scientific world is divided. According to some, the proposal was unscientific and backward-looking, while others believe that some research suggests that young children have no way of getting rid of the alcohol they ingest through breast milk.
– There is insufficient evidence to establish a separate recommendation for breastfeeding women. Therefore, the recommendations for breastfeeding women are the same as for the adult population in general, says Høyer-Lund.
Watch the dietitian list the biggest challenges with new nutrition advice in the video above.