UK
A recent study has found that drinking a pint of beer may lower your life expectancy by the same amount as smoking a cigarette.
The study, “Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599 912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies”, by a team of researchers led by Angela M. Wood, Ph.D., shows that the more alcohol a person drinks, the higher their risk of stroke, fatal aneurysm, heart failure, and early death. Drinking in excess could take up to five years off your life-expectancy.
The research compared the health and drinking habits of more than 600,000 drinkers in 19 countries worldwide and controlled for differences between people, such as gender, diseases (including diabetes), and lifestyle (such as smoking).