ORLANDO, Fla. – Do you ever worry that you drink too much? Well, a new study by the University of Cambridge shows you probably do, and that it could actually take time off your life.
According to the study, which was published Friday, people who consume more than five pints of alcohol per week could be at higher risk of suffering strokes, aneurysms, heart failure and death.
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The numbers are in support of the United Kingdom's recently lowered guidelines for alcohol consumption, which, since 2016, have recommended that both men and women drink 14 units or less per week. To break down the numbers even more, the guidelines recommend that consumers drink no more than six pints of beer or six glasses of wine a week, which is equal to less than one drink per day.
Five drinks per week (100 grams of pure alcohol, 12.5 units or just over five pints of 4 percent ABV beer or five 175 ml glasses of 13 percent ABV wine) was considered to be the "safe limit" for drinkers, according to the study.
Those who consumed more than five drinks per week were linked to shorter life expectancy. Ten drinks per week was linked to one to two years shorter expectancy, and 18 per week was linked with four or five years shorter life expectancy.
To obtain the numbers, researchers compared the health and alcohol consumption habits of more than 600,000 people in 19 countries across the world while controlling for age, smoking, history of diabetes, level of education and occupation.
The current recommended number of drinks for consumers in the U.S. is no more than two drinks per day.
Read more about the study and its findings for consumers in other countries here.