Is moderate drinking bad for your health? What are the risks you take? British scientists discovered some unexpected consequences of drinking alcohol which break usual stereotypes.

A drink a day may not keep the doctor away, as we thought before

The University of Cambridge conducted a new research on alcohol consumption. The results suggest that drinking more than 5 standard drinks weekly could not only damage your health but also take years off your life.

The study analysed health and alcohol consumption habits of over 600,000 people in 19 countries, taking into account their age, smoking and diabetes history, as well as education and occupation.

The researches emphasize that their findings question the popular belief about moderate alcohol consumption being beneficial to one’s cardiovascular health. Academics looked at the association between different types health conditions and drinking. The results show that consuming over the recommended dose of alcoholic drinks leads to a higher risk of stroke, heart failure, fatal aortic aneurysms, fatal hypertensive disease and heart failure. However, drinking was associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks.

Keep in mind these numbers if you want to enjoy a good company or relax after a long day without harming your health:

• 5 drinks a week is the upper safe limit – anything above is likely to lead to a lower life expectancy;
• 10 or more drinks per week can take 1 or 2 years of your life away;
• 18 drinks and above will shorten your life by 4-5 years.

Love red wine or believe it’s good for you? British scientists suggest daily consumption may harm your chances to live a long life.

Experts warn against the popular belief in health benefits of “moderate” drinking

Dr. Angela Wood from the University of Cambridge, UK, was the leading author of the study. She believes that minimizing alcohol consumption will help any drinker to prolong their life and lower the risk of several cardiovascular conditions. “Alcohol consumption is associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks but this must be balanced against the higher risk associated with other serious — and potentially fatal — cardiovascular diseases”, she said.

The British Heart Foundation part-funded the study. Senior dietician Victoria Taylor added that many people still regularly drink more than recommended. “We should always remember that alcohol guidelines should act as a limit, not a target, and try to drink well below this threshold.”

The research was based on self-reported alcohol consumption and observational data.

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