Research published yesterday suggests the health benefits of alcohol might occur only in middle-aged and older people.
Previous studies have shown that non-drinkers and heavy drinkers have a higher mortality from all causes than those who drink in moderation. Now statisticians at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have further quantified the level of alcohol consumption that carries the lowest death rate by linking it with age and sex. The researchers analysed the drinking habits of men and women in England and Wales. They estimated the relationship between alcohol consumption and risk of death, and how this varied with age and sex.
The results, published in the British Medical Journal, showed a direct dose-response relation between alcohol consumption and risk of death in women aged 16 to 54 and in men aged 16-34. However, the level of consumption at which the risk of death from all causes was lowest increased with age. The best outcome was for women aged over 65 who drank three units of alcohol a week and for men over 65 who had a weekly consumption of eight units.
A unit of alcohol [8-10 grammes] is equivalent to a glass of wine or half a pint of beer. Current guidelines advise men to drink less than 21 units a week and women not to consume more than 14.
Here is the exact prescription from the research paper. Women should limit their drinking to one unit a day up to age 44, two units a day up to age 74 and three units a day over 75. Men are advised to limit themselves to one unit of alcohol a day up to age 34, rising to three units up to age 54 and reaching five units a day at 85.