COUPLES who drink together live longer, a study has found.
Sharing the occasional tipple is not only good for relationships but also a boost for health, researchers say.
GettyCouples who drink together live longer, a study has found[/caption]
They followed the drinking habits of more than 9,000 couples over 50 between 1996 and 2016.
It found teetotal couples were 24 per cent more likely to have died in the course of the study than those who both enjoyed a drink.
The death rate was up to a third higher among those where only one partner drank.
But the death rate was also raised if both partners drank too much.
Dr Kida Birdett, from the University of Michigan, said: “Spouses with similar drinking behaviours often report better quality marriages and are married longer.
“These findings indicate that couples in which both drank in the last three months had better survival rates.
“The worst survival rate was among couples in which one partner drank and the other did not.”
Light drinking has been previously credited with good health — as it can cut stress.