by JENNY HOPE, Daily Mail

Drinking when you're young won't prevent a heart attack, doctors warn today.

The health benefits of alcohol are confined to the middle-aged and elderly, according to research.

Scientists have said for some time that drinking - in moderation - may prevent some diseases and help us live longer.

But doctors now say that does not apply to young people.

Instead, drinking at an early age could actually increase the risk of death, either from disease or in an alcohol-related accident.

A study, whose findings appear in the British Medical Journal, analysed the drinking habits of men and women aged 16 to over 85.

It found that even light drinking in men up to 35 and women up to 55 led to a higher risk of death, compared with teetotallers.

Now doctors are recommending young people should restrict themselves to one drink a day until at least their mid 30s.

After that, women should have no more than two drinks a day between the ages of 44 and 74.

Experts have proved alcohol, when taken later in life, can reduce the risk of heart disease by thinning the blood and preventing clots. It may also fight some cancers and ageing conditions, including Alzheimer's.

But the latest study, led by Dr Ian White of the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge, confirmed that only older people get the benefits. This is because the risk of death increases with the amount of alcohol consumed in women aged 16-54 and in men aged 16-34.

To keep the risk of death at five per cent or lower, said Dr White, women should limit their drinking to one unit a day up to the age of 44. From 44 to 74, it should be up to two units a day and over 75 three units per day.

A unit is half a pint of beer, a pub measure of spirits or a glass of wine. Around five glasses are usually served from a bottle.

The researchers suggest men should limit their drinking to one unit a day until they are 34. Up to 44, it should be no more than two units a day; up to 54 three units a day; up to 84 four units a day; and over 85 five units a day.

Dr White said: 'As most deaths attributable to alcohol at younger ages are due to injuries, a greater focus could be placed on avoiding risky patterns of drinking rather than on reducing average alcohol consumption.'

Doctors have put the limits for 'safe' drinking at 14 units a week for women and 21 units for men - lower than Department of Health guidelines which give upper limits of 21 units for women and 28 for men.

Doctors warn against 'binge' drinking and say daily drinking contributes to liver disease.