Elderly women who have a tipple or two a day live longer than their tee totaling counterparts, an Australian study has found.

An analysis of more than 12,000 older women found that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol in line with national recommendations has health benefits for those aged over 70.

"Indeed, non-drinkers and women who rarely drink had a significantly higher risk of dying than women who consumed a low intake of alcohol," said researcher Professor Julie Byles, from the University of Newcastle.

Researchers conducted a national survey of 12,432 older women who were questioned about their drinking habits.

Results published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicate that survival rates were lower in women who did not consume alcohol.
 

Those who drank the National Health and Medical Research Council recommended levels of no more than two standard drinks a day on average had better outcomes.

"Our data indicates that these guidelines can safely apply to these women at older ages," said Prof Byles, director of the university's Priority Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing.

She said the health benefits that moderate alcohol consumption can provide were likely to be multiple.

"Alcohol use can be associated with psychological and social wellbeing which can be considered important health benefits in their own right," Prof Byles said.

"The social and pleasurable benefits of drinking, as well as the improved appetite and nutrition that may accompany modest alcohol intake, could also play a role."

However, she warned the study was not designed to provide evidence to suggest that non-drinkers should take up drinking in older age.

The study, in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute, used data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.