Drinking One Alcoholic Beverage Per day Could Help You Live Longer

Science Says Drinking One Alcoholic Beverage Per day Could Help You Live Longer

Here’s a fun fact to help you justify reaching for that bottle of Riesling come 7pm: a new study out of the Netherlands has found that drinking an alcoholic beverage per day could be the key to living longer.

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Researchers at the Maastricht University Medical Centre analysed data from more than 5,000 men and women born between 1916 and 1917. They specifically looked at their drinking habits from the time they entered their sixties until they turned 90.

They found that while binge drinkers statistically die earlier, those who enjoy one standard drink per day are 40 per cent more likely to reach their 90^thbirthday than those who never or rarely drink alcohol.

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The findings also suggested that women are more likely to live longer if they drink wine, while men showed greater longevity from whiskey, brandy or gin.

The researchers aren’t clear on why exactly alcohol (in small amounts) adds years to our lives, though they hypothesise it has to do with hormesis: a scientific phenomenon where a beneficial substance becomes highly toxic in large quantities.

“This should not be used by anyone who does not currently drink alcohol as motivation to start drinking,” researcher Dr Piet A. van den Brandt told Mail Online.

Everything in moderation, eh?!

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Lucy Bode

Lucy is Women Health’s digital editor, social media specialist and the go-to girl for all things holistic wellness. Her background as a journalist and passion for food, fitness and integrative medicine has led her to write for some of Australia’s leading publications over the course of her career.

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