Researchers claim any more than five glasses of wine a week speeds up body’s biological clock

Drinking too much alcohol really does age you, researchers say. 

Oxford University scientists say anything more than five glasses of wine a week speeds up the body’s biological clock.

Experts examined data from nearly 250,000 Britons and found those who drank over 17 units of alcohol per week had shorter telomeres.

Telomeres are biological caps found at the ends of chromosomes which protect the DNA in them from damage, much like the caps on the ends of shoelaces prevent fraying.

These structures naturally get shorter as we age, leading to DNA becoming damaged and raising the risk of developing problems such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease.

Now the scientists have found drinking alcohol could also lead to telomere shortening, increasing someone’s biological age by up to six years.

But this was only observed in those who drank at least 17 units a week, three more than the NHS recommendations. 

The NHS recommends that adults drink no more than 14 units each week — that’s 14 single shots of spirit or six pints of beer or a bottle and a half of wine

In their study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, scientists examined genetic and health data from 245,000 Britons who participated in the UK Biobank. 

They looked for telltale genetic markers in the participants that had previously been associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol disorders.

Analysing the data, the researchers found a significant association between high alcohol intake and shorter telomere length.