Drinking could be good for you, study finds

A few drinks a week could help you live longer, a study has found. Photo / File

Drinking a light to moderate amount of alcohol is good for you, according to a new study.

An American study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which used data from more than 333,000 people, found light to moderate alcohol intake might help you live longer and protect you from cardiovascular disease in particular.

Heavy or binge drinking was associated with increased risk of all-cause and cancer-specific mortality.

The study classified light drinkers as people who had less than three drinks a week and moderate drinkers as those who had between three and 14 drinks for men and up to seven drinks for women.

The study also found the protective effect of light to moderate alcohol consumption was more pronounced in women, middle-aged and older populations, non-Hispanic white subjects, and non-smokers.

Spirits New Zealand chief executive Robert Brewer said the study showed drinking safely and sensibly could be part of a normal, health lifestyle.

"Light or moderate drinkers' overall mortality risk dropped by 21 and 22 per cent respectively and there was also a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (26 and 29 per cent) and cancer (14 and 13 per cent) compared with lifetime abstainers," he said

"However, the study also found what most of us already know - heavy drinking is not good for you with heavy and binge drinkers having an increased risk of all-cause (11 and 13 per cent) and cancer mortality (27 and 22 per cent)."

The study concluded that a balance between the beneficial and detrimental effects of alcohol consumption on health should be considered when making individual or population-wide recommendations, but the reduction of harmful or high consumption of alcohol remained necessary and essential.