Consuming 18 of these beverages per week was related to a ‘four to five years shorter life expectancy’, past research showed
Waking up with a sore head isn’t the only consequence of frequent drinking. Worrying research suggests it could actually slash years off your life, triggering an increased risk of strokes, aneurysms and heart failures, among other life-threatening issues.
One such study to support this was led by Cambridge University in 2018, with scientists analysing the drinking habits of more than 600,000 individuals in 19 countries across the world. Candidate groups were controlled by various factors including age, history of diabetes and even occupation.
Although the NHS now advises that 14 units per week is the maximum safe limit for alcohol consumption, the study showed that drinking above 12.5 was associated with lower life expectancy. That’s just over five pints of 4% ABV beer or 175ml glasses of 13% ABV wine.
Specific findings showed that 10 or more drinks per week was linked ‘with one to two years shorter life expectancy’, while 18 beverages in the same period was related to a ‘four to five years shorter life expectancy’.
Lead author, Dr Angela Wood, said at the time: “If you already drink alcohol, drinking less may help you live longer and lower your 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.”
Despite these trends, scientists noted that self-reported alcohol consumption was used for analyses, meaning ‘no firm conclusions’ could be made about cause and effect. The university added: “The study did not look at the effect of alcohol consumption over the life course or account for people who may have reduced their consumption due to health complications.”
Yet, emerging studies have also mirrored similar trends, including a 2024 investigation from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, which debunked the idea that moderate drinking leads to a longer, healthier life.
More than 107 published studies were examined as part of this. “There is simply no completely ‘safe’ level of drinking,” Dr Tim Stockwell said last year. “If you look at the weakest studies… that’s where you see health benefits.”
How should I count alcoholic units?
The NHS advises that 14 units are the same as six pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine. The term ‘unit’ was made to simplify a drink’s alcoholic content which is usually measured with ABV – alcohol by volume.
Its guidance adds: “ABV is a measure of the amount of pure alcohol as a percentage of the total volume of liquid in a drink. You can find the ABV on the labels of cans and bottles, sometimes written as ‘vol’ or ‘alcohol volume’, or you can ask bar staff about particular drinks.
“For example, wine that says ‘12% ABV’ or ‘alcohol volume 12%’ means 12% of the volume of that drink is pure alcohol. You can work out how many units there are in any drink by multiplying the total volume of a drink (in ml) by its ABV (measured as a percentage) and dividing the result by 1,000.”
