Study: Every drink above the weekly recommended limit knocks 30 minutes off your life
Every alcoholic drink over the daily recommended amount erases about 30 minutes from your expected lifespan, according to a new study from the Lancet medical journal.
Basically, the study says the most anyone should drink without risking a shorter life is five 6 oz. glasses of wine or five pints of beer per week, which is about 100 grams of alcohol.
Drinking above those limits increases the risk of cardiovascular complications like stroke, heart attack and aneurysm.
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The study involved nearly 600,000 drinkers in 19 different countries, none of whom had history of cardiovascular issues.
Forty-year-olds who consumed double the recommended limit per week saw their life expectancy reduced by six months. Forty-year-olds who drank 200-350 grams per week lost an average of 4-5 years of life.
Just over 40,000 people in the study died, with another 39,000 experiencing cardiovascular disease.
On the flip side, 40-year-olds drinking went from an average of 196 grams per week to 100 grams or less gained 1-2 years of life expectancy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), women in the U.S. should only have one drink per day while men shouldn't exceed two drinks.
The CDC notes that no one should assume there are any health benefits associated with drinking alcohol.
