Daily tipple helps you reach 90

ENJOYING your favourite tipple every day could boost your chances of living to 90, scientists have discovered.

Researchers tracked more than 5,000 men and women, most of whom were born during the First World War.

When they were in their 60s and 70s, the volunteers were quizzed on their drinking habits and were monitored to see how many made it to 90. Of those, 34 per cent of the women and 16 per cent of men survived to that age.

When daily drinkers were compared with abstainers, men and women downing five to 10g of alcohol a day were found to be 40 per cent more likely to become a nonagenarian. Any more than 15g of alcohol and the benefits disappeared as larger intakes of booze led to premature death.

Ten grammes of alcohol is roughly equivalent to a small glass of wine, a pub measure of a spirit or half a pint of beer.

However, the team warned that alcohol can interfere with prescription medications and said those living longer may not be healthier.

Researcher Dr Piet van den Brandt, of Maastricht University in the Netherlands,

told journal Age and Ageing: ‘Wine was associated with women reaching 90 but not men. Instead, intake of gin, brandy and whisky increased their longevity.’

Lucy Holmes, director of research and policy at Alcohol Change UK, said: ‘This study shows again what all the evidence points to and what the UK’s top doctors tell us – the healthiest choice is to drink 14 units a week or less.

‘That’s a bottle and a half of wine, or six pints of normal strength lager, spread over three or more days. But if you don’t drink at the moment, this isn’t a reason to start.’