Alcohol sponsorship may be linked to hazardous drinking in UK athletes, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Monash University and the University of Manchester found that sportspeople receiving alcohol sponsorship consumed more and had higher odds of hazardous drinking after accounting for factors such as type of sport played, age, gender, disposable income, and region.

"I think most people would agree that sport is an important marketing tool for the alcohol, gambling, and fast foods industries, in much the same way it was for tobacco," Kerry O'Brien, leader of the study and associate professor at Monash University, said in a statement. "Our study raises the question of whether sports that have such sponsorships and advertising might promote poorer health and social outcomes."

For the study, the researchers surveyed more than 2000 athletes from universities in the North West, Midlands, London, and Southern regions of England. Most of the participants played community sport, and around one-third reported being sponsored by an alcohol-related industry such as a brewer or pub.

Alcohol consumption was found to be high in athletes overall. However, 50 percent of those sponsored by an alcohol-related industry had scores on the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test that indicated the need for brief counseling and further monitoring of drinking, compared with 39 percent of non-sponsored athletes.

O'Brien said it had been known for some time that excessive drinking is more common in young adults who play sport or are fans.

"Alcohol sponsorship (and the drinking culture it perpetuates) appears to be one of these reasons," O'Brien said.

The study mirrors findings from countries such as Australia and New Zealand that have similar alcohol and sport sponsorship and advertising arrangement. However, the study went further by testing the alcohol industry's argument that the effect of sponsorship on alcohol consumption may be unique to New Zealand or due to heavy drinkers seeking out alcohol sponsorship.

The findings were recently published in the scientific journal Addiction.