DRINKERS who ignore UK alcohol consumption guidelines could be cutting years off their lives, according to new research.

An analysis of nearly 600,000 people found those drinking more than 100g of alcohol every week - around five 175ml glasses of wine or pints of beer - were at an increased risk of early death.

Drinking more alcohol was also linked with a greater chance of suffering a stroke, heart failure, and fatal aneurysm, according to the international

study published in journal the Lancet.

The findings support recently lowered guidelines in the UK, which recommend that both men and women should not drink more than 14 units or 112g of pure alcohol in a week.

This equates to around six pints of 4% strength beer or six 175ml glasses of 13% wine.

Lead author, Dr Angela Wood, of the University of Cambridge, said: "The key message of this research for public health is that, if you already drink alcohol, drinking less may help you live longer and lower your risk of several cardiovascular conditions."

The study analysed 599,912 current drinkers in 19 countries, none of whom had a known history of cardiovascular disease, and found an increase in all causes of death when more than 100g of alcohol was consumed every week.

A 40-year-old regularly drinking between 200g and 350g of alcohol per week - about 10 to 18 glasses of wine or pints of beer - had a lower life expectancy of around one to two years, researchers found.

Those exceeding 350g of alcohol every week could shed four to five years off their life.

While the study also found alcohol consumption was linked to a lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks, experts said "on balance" there are no health benefits from drinking.

Dr Wood said: "Alcohol consumption is associated with a slightly lower risk of non-fatal heart attacks but this must be balanced against the higher risk associated with other serious - and potentially fatal - cardiovascular diseases."

The authors of the study said recommended alcohol limits should be lowered to around 100g or 12.5 units per week in many countries.

UK guidelines were changed in 2016 to 14 units every week for men and women, lower than the limits in Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The upper recommended limit for men in the US is almost 25 units of alcohol per week.

Co-author, Professor Naveed Sattar of the University of Glasgow, said: "This study provides clear evidence to support lowering the recommended limits of alcohol consumption in many countries around the world."

Commenting on the findings, Colin Shevills, director of North-East-based Balance, said: “Today’s study in the Lancet Medical Journal is a very important and detailed report which provides clear evidence that regularly drinking above the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended maximum weekly guidelines of 14 units is likely to shorten a person's lifespan.

“Alcohol can have serious consequences for our health, including an increased risk of heart failure, stroke and fatal aneurysms.

"We have all heard the claims that red wine is good for the heart, but this study shows that any benefits of drinking apply only to non-fatal heart disease and are cancelled out if we drink above the low risk guidelines.

"The robust evidence in the study shows that there is an increased risk of death if we drink above around 12.5 units a week – the equivalent of around five standard glasses of wine or five pints of beer.

“Many people are unaware of the risks associated with alcohol consumption and our health, even at relatively low levels.

"This is particularly worrying when we know over one in four drinkers in our region are drinking above the low risk CMO guidelines.

“When the CMO guidelines were introduced two years ago they came under attack by sections of the alcohol industry.

"Even now, over two years since they were introduced, very few alcohol labels carry the low risk guidelines.

"We all have a right to information about what we are consuming and in fact 83 per cent of people in the North-East are supportive of health warning labels on alcohol products. It’s high time the industry started listening.”

Professor Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield, said: "The study makes clear that on balance there are no health benefits from drinking alcohol, which is usually the case when things sound too good to be true.

"Although non-fatal heart attacks are less likely in people who drink, this benefit is swamped by the increased risk of other forms of heart disease including fatal heart attacks and strokes."

Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said the study seemed to "broadly reinforce" government guidelines in the UK.

But she added: "This doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels, many people in the UK regularly drink over what's recommended.

"We should always remember that alcohol guidelines should act as a limit, not a target and try to drink well below this threshold."

A spokesman for industry body the Alcohol Information Partnership said: "This report confirms our view that moderate drinking does not pose a risk to most people.

"These figures are in line with the UK Chief Medical Officer's guidance and support previous studies which show that the lifetime risk from many cardiovascular diseases for most people who are moderate drinkers is lower than for those who drink heavily, or don't drink at all."

The study was funded by the BHF, UK Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, European Union Framework 7 and European Research Council.

A spokesman for the Portman Group, the social responsibility body for alcohol producers in the UK, said: "Official statistics show that the vast majority (76%) chose not to drink or drink within guidelines, which are among the lowest in Europe.

"Nationally, consumption has been in decline for the last decade and most importantly harmful drinking and binge drinking are also in decline."