Glass Of Wine A Day Increases Risk Of Early Death By 20 Percent, Study Finds

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new study finds that people who drink a glass of wine during some nights of the week increase their risk of an early death.

According to The Independent, researchers from the Washington School of Medicine found that people who drink alcohol four or more days a week increase their risk of early death by 20 percent.

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This latest study contradicts other research that having a glass of wine a day has health benefits.

"Now we know that even the lightest daily drinkers have an increased mortality risk," Dr. Sarah Hartz, the study's author, told The Independent. "Consuming one or two drinks about four days per week seemed to protect against cardiovascular disease, but drinking every day eliminated those benefits. With regard to cancer risk, any drinking at all was detrimental."

The Independent reports that researchers collected data from more than 400,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 85 and found that 20 percent of the subjects had a higher risk of an early death when they drank more than three days a week.

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"As people age, their risk of death from any cause also increases, so a 20 percent risk increase at age 75 translates into many more deaths than it does at age 25," Hartz told The Independent.

The study was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.