Just one alcoholic drink a day could shorten your life, study says

[Northerner]

Having as little as one alcoholic drink a day could shorten your life, according to a major new study.

An analysis of 600,000 drinkers found that drinking five to 10 alcoholic drinks a week was likely to shorten a person's life by up to six months.

This increases with higher alcohol consumption, with those who have 18 drinks or more losing up to five years of life.

Experts said it challenged the idea that light drinking was good for us.

Scientists, who compared the health and drinking habits of alcohol drinkers in 19 countries, calculated how much life a person could expect to lose if they drank the same way for the rest of their lives from the age of 40.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43738644

 

[Robin]

So, Diabetes is also said to shorten our life by anything up to 8 years, so I'll be dead anyway by the time the alcohol kills me, right?

 

[Mark Parrott]

I should be dead already!

 

[Bubbsie]

I should be dead already!

I was thinking along exactly the same lines Mark...however since its recommended we drink no more than 14 units per week on the NHS Choices web site... I have considered whether some of us may not be drinking enough... do I invest in a couple of G & T's later or not...yes I think so...I need something to ease me through this minefield of conflicting advice...cheers😛

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

As my grandad used to say...

"Doctor, doctor, if I completely give up the drink will I live longer?"

"No. But it will feel like it"

 

[mikeyB]

Flawed study. People always drink at least twice as much than they tell doctors - or researchers.

Anyway, who wants to live 6 months longer? Longer than what? It’s the quality of life you should worry about, not the length.

 

[Mark Parrott]

It's like smoking. Anyone that tells the doc they smoke 10 a day, usually smokes double that.

 

[Wirrallass]

I rarely drink alcohol, only on the odd occasions ~ so does this mean I'm going to live 6 months longer ~ but longer than what is the question?

 

[Vince_UK]

I should be dead already!

Me too

 

[mikeyB]

And me. The definition of an alcoholic is someone who drinks more than their doctor