An occasional drink doesn’t raise the risk of premature death, study suggests

Furthermore, those who downed up to a bottle a day were 61 percent more likely to die before their time.

For men, two pints a day increased the risk of an early death by 15 percent, with this number rising with each pint.

Looking at 107 studies from around the world, the findings were based on 4.8 million people – making it one of the biggest analyses of its kind.

Lead author Dr Jinhui Zhao, of the University of Victoria, Canada, said: “In this updated systematic review and meta-analysis, daily low or moderate alcohol intake was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality risk, while increased risk was evident at higher consumption levels, starting at lower levels for women than men.

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