Drinking five or more glasses of wine or beer per week can shorten life expectancy up to two years in a person of 40 years, according to a research released yesterday by the University of Cambridge in England.
The study, conducted jointly with the British Heart Foundation and published by the medical journal Lancet, analyzed 600 thousand drinkers worldwide and found that passing the recommended limit of five glasses of wine or beer per week increases the risk of stroke, aneurysm, heart failure and death.
The authors argue that their findings challenge the widely held belief that moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial for cardiovascular health and support the recently reduced recommendations of the United Kingdom.
The study compared health habits and alcohol consumption of more than 600,000 people in 19 countries around the world and controlled age, smoking, history of diabetes, level of education and occupation.
The safe limit of alcohol consumption is five glasses of wine or beer per week.
Dr. Angela Wood, of the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study, said that "if you drink alcohol, drinking less can help you live longer and reduce the risk of several cardiovascular diseases."
According to the expert, "alcohol consumption is associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks, but this must be balanced with the increased risk associated with other serious and potentially fatal cardiovascular diseases."
For her part, Victoria Taylor, a senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation - which partially funded the study - added that "this study can be instructive for countries that have set their recommendations at higher levels than the United Kingdom."
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom, the British Heart Foundation and the National Institute for Health Research.