Research: How to cut down alcohol consumption

Researchers have found that bigger glasses make people drink more – even if the volume of alcohol in them is the same.

Here’s a top tip for drinkers who would like to cut down – use a smaller glass! This simple advice is backed by health experts who are desperate to reduce the amount we drink.

Earlier this year, the Government’s chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, published tough new guidelines warning there is no safe level of drinking.

She recommended that men reduce their maximum drinking levels to that recommended for women – just 14 units a week, the equivalent of about six pints of beer or seven standard glasses of wine.

Amanda McLean, director of World Cancer Research Fund, said: “Alcohol increases the risk of a number of different cancers , including breast, stomach and liver. In fact, around 24,000 cancer cases could be prevented every year in the UK if no one drank alcohol.

“If people are going to drink, they should try to be alcohol savvy. For example, pick a small glass of wine, or a bottle of beer instead of a pint.”

Researchers have found that bigger glasses make people drink more – even if the volume of alcohol in them is the same. So should we legislate to have all wine glasses below a certain size?

Cambridge University scientists suspect that the size of the glass fools your brain into thinking there’s more to drink, encouraging you to down it more quickly.

Study participants were served the same amounts of wine in different size glasses in an experiment conducted in a bar. Sales went up by nearly 10% when larger glasses were used.

The wine was sold in regular 125ml and large 175ml servings but the glasses used were switched at fortnightly intervals, varying between the standard size of 300ml, a larger 370ml glass and a smaller 250ml glass.

The volume of wine purchased daily was nearly 10% higher when put in larger glasses than when it was served in standard glasses.

However, surprise, surprise, sales didn’t change when the team switched to the smaller glasses.

It’s thought larger glasses change our perceptions of the amount of wine in the glass, leading us to drink faster and order more. We already know people tend to eat more when food is put on big plates.

Study author Professor Theresa Marteau said the Government should consider imposing maximum glass sizes to reduce the amount that people drink.

Alcohol licensing could require that all wine glasses have to be below a certain size. Mind you, if it’s water you’re drinking, try the larger glass.