A study by the University of Cambridge and the British Heart Foundation has found that those drinking more than 12.5 units of alcohol per week – around 5-6 glasses of wine or pints of beer – were cutting down their life expectancy with each extra drink. If you’re in the habit of habitually grabbing a glass of wine after dinner, you may want to work in a drink-free day or two per week (think Meatless Mondays, but…without wine).
The research included 600,000 drinkers from 19 different countries. 50% of participants were drinking more than the recommended 12.5 units and 8.4% were drinking almost four times that.
These revelations have also called into question the idea that drinking small amounts is beneficial for your health. Anyone who drinks alcohol should be careful to monitor their intake and decide what is best for them.
What exactly is the risk?
Drinking more than 12.5 units per week lowered the life expectancy of participants in this study by six months to five years, by the time they were 40 years old.
For every 12.5 units consumed, the risk of stroke increased by 14%, heart failure by 9% and fatal aneurysm by 15%. All natural causes of death saw an increase in likelihood.
The heaviest drinkers - more than 18 drinks a week - could face a loss of life expectancy of up to ten years, similar to that of a smoker.
What can I do?
Follow the government's alcohol intake guideline of 14 units a week maximum. Make sure if you do exceed the recommended limit, that it is not a regular habit.
This new research opposes previous studies claiming red wine is good for your cardiovascular health. It might be worth remembering that nutritional science is constantly under review and to take new research with a pinch of salt. Be careful not to drink to excess, and do what you feel is best for you.
Get some teetotal inspiration for your next night out:
The Debrief Alcohol-Free Drinks Slider
1 of 7Alcohol-Free Budweiser
Smells like a Bud, tastes like a Bud, comes with a can. We'd say this is top of the 'how to pretend your drinking when you don't want to drink' pecking order.
2 of 7Alcohol-Free Eisberg White Wine
A Sauvignon Blanc not as you know it but it's not *all *that far off. Unless you're a proper wine connoisseur... then you probably won't be into it at all. But it smells very grape-y which is as about as close to a white wine as you get in this game.
3 of 7Alcohol-Free Erdinger Wheat Beer
As soon as we popped the lid on this one it smelt like a pub, so if you're into full sensory drinking go for this guy here. Pours with a generous head if that's how you like your beers but don't try it luke warm. It's not pleasant at all.
4 of 7Alcohol-Free Kopparberg
Oh hey there sugary-sweet cider of our younger years. Honestly, I'd struggle to tell the difference between this one and the boozy alternative which, for these purposes, is a good thing. Teeth will probably feel a bit furry by the time you finish the bottle, though.
5 of 7Alcohol-Free Seedlp 'Spirit'
Here we have the world's first distilled alcohol-free spirit. As for which spirit it's meant to be, we're not sure. But it's made from peas (and smells like peas) but doens't taste half bad with some lemonade and/or orange juice.
6 of 7Alcohol-Free Rawsons Retreat Sparlking Chardonnay
I'm very sorry to say that we struggled to find a precise prosecco alternative. And technically this bottle of bubbles is 0.5% alcohol but we're pretty sure that doesn't really count... right?
7 of 7Alcohol-Free Stowford Press Cider
Smells like a barrel of cider alright! And it really does taste pretty close to a pint of the alcoholic stuff that one rogue mate insists on ordering from the local pub.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophlynne
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.