An investigation of internal marketing documents from alcoholic-beverage firms and their marketing agencies has led researchers in the U.K. to conclude that the country's system of alcohol industry self-regulation has failed, Reuters reported Jan. 21.

Stirling University researchers found that alcohol companies and their communications firms consistently pushed the boundaries of the guidelines, used research on 15- and 16-year-olds to guide their marketing campaigns, and repeatedly referred to the need to recruit new drinkers and "unwise and immoderate drinking, suggesting that increasing consumption is a key promotional aim," the study said.

The findings were published in the British Medical Journal.