clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk Men who drink four pints of beer a week could be increasing the risk of needing hospital treatment during their lifetime, a study has suggested.
Researchers studied 5,772 Scottish men for up to 35 years.
They found those who drank between eight and 14 units a week were more likely to be admitted to hospital than those who drank fewer units or nothing.
That is the equivalent of four pints of beer, eight shots of spirits or eight small glasses of wine.
The men, from Glasgow, Clydebank and Grangemouth, were all aged between 35 to 64 when they were recruited between 1970 and 1973.
The risk rose again for men who drank between 14 and 21 units, which is the government's recommended weekly maximum.
The report found that as average alcohol intake increased, the risk of being admitted to hospital and the length of stay also rose.