If you drink hard, you'll need to exercise hard to lower health risk

New research suggests exercise may offset the health risks of drinking. Photo: AFP/Istock

Heavy drinkers who exercise are less likely to die from alcohol-related diseases than those who don't, a study suggests, although its authors were cautious about the implications of their data.

Researchers used British population data between 1994 and 2006, comparing health outcomes with self-reported alcohol intake and exercise levels of more than 36,000 people.