18pct of Brit Women Drink More Than Weekly Recommended Alcohol Intake

Figures from a recent survey has revealed that the proportion of UK women drinking more than the recommended levels has grown by a fifth in recent years. The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, showed that 18 percent of women now consume more than 14 units of alcohol a week, equivalent to more than seven standard glasses of wine, reports the Telegraph.

This represents a 20 percent rise on the figure of 15 percent recorded in 1998, with older women in particular drinking more.

In addition, the proportion of women drinking at dangerous levels of more than 35 units a week - more than 17 standard 175ml glasses of 12 percent strength wine - has doubled from 2 per cent in 1998 to 4 per cent in 2009.

However, over the same period, the proportion of men drinking to excess has remained almost constant.

In 1998, 28 percent of men drank more than the recommended safe limit of 21 units a week and by 2009 this had fallen to 26 per cent.

Over the same period, the proportion drinking more than 50 units a week remained exactly the same, at 7 per cent overall, although the number of 16 to 24-year-olds binge-drinking fell by half.

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The higher drinking levels among women, taken from the General Lifestyle Survey 2009, were highlighted by the ONS as an example of possible reasons for increased hospital procedures under Labour.

Source-ANI