PASS THE WINE People who DON’T drink alcohol are ‘more likely to die young’, study finds (Additional Coverage)

Mortality rates were highest in people who had never had a sip of alcohol

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/

By Sarah Barns

6th May 2018

PUT the Prosecco on ice because boozing could actually help prolong your life, a study has found.

Researchers at the University of Texas found that people who drink regularly are less likely to die than those who have never drank in their life.

While the health implications involved with excessive alcohol consumption are widely known, it seems the old adage ‘everything in moderation’ is key.

Scientists examined individuals aged between 55 and 65 over a 20-year period, while accounting for other factors including socioeconomic status and level of physical activity.

Psychologist Charles Holahan, who led the study, found mortality rates were highest in people who had never had a sip of alcohol, slightly lower for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

Out of 1824 participants, only 41 per cent of moderate drinkers died early in comparison to 69 per cent of non-drinkers, according to Time.

Even heavy drinkers seemed to fair better than the non-drinkers in the study, with a premature mortality rate of 60 per cent.

A potential explanation for the unusual result could be that drinking is a good way of maintaining social networks, which play a role in maintaining mental and physical health as we get older.

It is always important to drink responsibly with excessive alcohol consumption linked to cancer, stroke, heart disease, lover damage and brain damage.