Physical activity appears to offset the effect of alcohol consumption on a person’s risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, but not death from cancer, researchers say.

The attenuation of increased risk of death from alcohol was investigated in almost 300,000 British adults aged 40 or older, in an observational study led by the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney.

The participants were recruited to the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010 and followed for an average of 6.9 years, with more than 6000 deaths occurring. Only people who had never experienced cancer or a major cardiovascular event were included in the analysis.

The researchers found that the highest risk of increased all-cause mortality associated with alcohol was seen in previous drinkers, who had a 41% increased risk compared with non-drinkers.