Australians will need to drink four less standard alcoholic drinks per week under new guidelines.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) now recommends a weekly maximum of 10 standard drinks, down from the previous guideline of 14.

The guidelines also recommend no more than four drinks should be consumed in a single day.

They were last updated a decade ago, and are being brought into line with research linking alcohol with higher risk of various types of cancer, including breast, liver, and pancreatic.

NHMRC CEO Anne Kelso has warned listeners to watch out for beverages containing more alcohol than a standard unit.

“A standard drink is 10 grams of alcohol. That’s about a 100ml glass of wine… a pot or a middy for standard-strength beer, and it’s a 30ml nip for a spirit like whisky.

“It doesn’t matter what the surrounding material is, if you like… None of that actually makes any difference to the direct effect of the alcohol.”

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Image: Getty/Alexander Spatari