Sure, those ice cold drinks may feel like a reward at the end of a long work day, but a new study suggests as little as two drinks a week reduces your life expectancy.
The study was led by Dr. Tim Stockwell, a scientist from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.
Stockwell shared his findings with the Daily Mail, saying that the consumption of two alcoholic drinks a week on average can shorten a person’s life by 4 to 6 days, while one drink per day can cut someone’s ride on Earth short by 2 ½ months.
The research continued to find that the more drinks a person has a day, the shorter the life expectancy they can expect to have.
For heavy drinkers, those who consume close to 35 drinks per week, the research suggests they may lose approximately two years of life.
The findings of Stockwell’s study also contradicted several popular notions about moderate alcohol consumption being beneficial for health.
Last year, Stockwell conducted a meta-analysis that reviewed over 107 studies from the past 40 years, concluding that no amount of alcohol improves health but instead might increase the risk of death from any cause.
While federal guidelines recommend that men drink no more than two drinks daily and women no more than one, Stockwell and his colleagues are questioning the validity of the research used to set those parameters.
In fact, the researchers noted that many of the studies they examined were funded by the alcohol industry and that nondrinkers in the studies may seem less healthy because they quit alcohol due to existing health problems.
Consumption of alcohol can damage the brain, heart, liver, and pancreas, as well as contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, and more.
Stockwell’s research may be put to good use soon, as a six-member advisory board has been convened by the Department of Health and Human Services to reassess the current drinking recommendations.