Want To Live Into Your 90s?

It’s the sort of health news most would toast with a cheeky tipple – but it may have health fanatics choking on their carrot juice.

Drinking a couple of glasses of wine or beer a night – while adding a few extra pounds in weight – could be the secret to living into your 90s, a major study finds today.

The research, which looked at those who had lived beyond 90, identified modest alcohol consumption as one of five key factors linked to a long life.

It found that those who had around two glasses of beer or wine every day had an 18 per cent reduced risk of premature death compared to those who were teetotal.

Meanwhile, being slightly overweight – but not obese – also appeared to reduce the risk of early death, although only by around 3 per cent.

Professor Claudia Kawas, of the University of California, tracked data on around 1,700 people who were in their nineties in 2003 – called the ‘90+ study’.

She said her work had found that modest drinking and carrying extra pounds were both associated with longevity. She also found that those who spent at least two hours a day on a hobby had a 21 per cent lower risk of premature death, while those who took between 15 and 45 minutes of moderate exercise a day had an 11 per cent lower risk. Drinking about two cups of coffee a day gave a ten per cent lower chance.

Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual conference in Austin, Texas, Professor Kawas said: ‘I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity.’

Previous studies have suggested that light alcohol consumption could lower the chances of a heart attack or heart disease. However, the latest advice from the UK’s Chief Medical Officer states that men and women should consume no more than 14 units a week – equivalent to six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine – and that drinking should be spread evenly over the course of seven days.

On weight, Professor Kawas explained that human biology was geared to adding weight later in life, adding: ‘The best mortality experience is to gain between five and ten pounds per decade.

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