People who don’t drink tend to die sooner than those that do, study finds

PUT the Prosecco on ice because boozing could help prolong your life, a study has found.
Researchers at the University of Texas found abstaining from alcohol increases your risk of dying, even when you exclude former problem drinkers.
And, abstainers' (defined in the study as people who were not current drinkers, regardless of their past drinking status) mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.
While the health implications involved with excessive alcohol consumption are widely known, it seems the old adage ‘everything in moderation’ is key.
Moderate drinking, defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies.
Moderate alcohol use, especially when the drink of choice is red wine, is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability.
Scientists examined 1,824 individuals aged between 55 and 65 over a 20-year period. Sixty three per cent of the sample was men. Factors including socioeconomic status and level of physical activity were taken into account. The study was published in .
Psychologist Charles Holahan, who conducted the study in 2010, found mortality rates were highest for those who were not current drinkers, regardless of whether they used to be alcoholics, second highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.
Just over 69% of the abstainers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.
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.
But researchers stated: "A further limitation is that we were not able to examine lifetime abstention because the parent project of which this study was a part excluded lifetime abstainers."
Meanwhile, a 2016 study, based on a much larger population of 3,998,626 concluded that "low-volume alcohol consumption has no net mortality benefit compared with lifetime abstention or occasional drinking”.
The has also busted myths around the benefits of red wine. It states: “In the past, researchers believed red wine might have had health benefits for heart disease, but this does not appear to be the case.”
A 2018 study, published in , found that having more than 10 drinks a week cut life expectancy by up to two years, or up to five years for those drinking 17 or more.
It is always important to drink responsibly with excessive alcohol consumption linked to cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver damage and brain damage.
Meanwhile, Lidl’s popular citrus gin is back… just in time for the bank holiday heatwave.
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To coincide with the launch, Lidl is also selling posh tonic that looks just like Fever Tree - but costs 71p less.
So why not fire up the BBQ and enjoy a nice, refreshing G&T this scorching bank holiday weekend?
But remember, your local supermarket may have reduced opening hours tomorrow - here's the lowdown.