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Aging News & Information

Study Raises Questions About How Much Alcohol Senior Citizens Can Drink

Older people should not drink a holiday toast to this U.K. study

By Tucker Sutherland, editor

Dec. 19, 2007 – A study was released yesterday saying there is no need for senior citizens to worry about drinking as much alcohol as younger people during the holidays. It says regular moderate drinking poses no additional risks for those over 65 and "may even bring health benefits." Before seniors drink a toast to that news, however, they do need to consider why it is that seniors are advised to be more moderate in their drinking.

The researchers of this new study studied the drinking levels of over 13,000 people in the U.S. and U.K. The looked at the effects on physical disability, mortality, cognitive function, depression, and well-being. They concluded that moderate drinking is fine for the over 65s – and in some cases is better than not drinking at all.

"This," says the news release from Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England, "will be good news to the elderly who want to get into the festive spirit, and who until now have lived by the commonly held belief that they have to reduce their alcohol consumption as they get older."

We are not advocating that elderly people should go out and get ridiculously drunk," said Dr. Iain Lang, lead author of the two studies from the Peninsula Medical School.

What we are saying is that current guidelines on drinking for the elderly are too conservative, and that a couple of drinks a day will do no harm, and will in fact have a more beneficial affect on cognitive and general health than abstinence.”

Research showed that 10.8 per cent of U.S. men, 28.6 per cent of U.K. men, 2.9 per cent of U.S. women and 10.3 per cent of U.K. women drank more than the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommended limit for people aged 65 and over.

The research also showed that those drinking on average more than one to two drinks a day achieved similar health results as those drinking on average more than zero to one drink a day. The worst results were in those who did not drink at all and in those who were heavy drinkers.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of disability were similar in men and women.

 “The upshot of this research is that ‘a little of what you fancy does you good.’ There is no reason why older people should not enjoy a tipple this Christmas, as long as they are sensible about it. Previous research has shown that middle-aged people can benefit from moderate drinking – these findings show the same applies to the over-65s, said Dr. Lang.”

Alcohol problems lower among elderly

The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism does note that alcohol problems are lowest among adults who have passed their 65th birthday.

But, alcohol effects do vary with age and drinking alcohol puts older people are at higher risk for falls, car crashes, and other types of injuries. This is because drinking causes seniors to have slower reaction times, problems with hearing and seeing, and a lower tolerance to alcohol's effects.

Older people also tend to take more medicines than younger people. Mixing alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medications can be very dangerous, even fatal.

In addition, alcohol can make many of the medical conditions common in older people, including high blood pressure and ulcers, more serious. Physical changes associated with aging can make older people feel "high" even after drinking just small amounts of alcohol.

So even if there is no medical reason to avoid alcohol, older men and women should limit themselves to one drink per day.

The U.S. government agency also differs with the new study on the affects of alcohol on men and women. The U.K. researchers suggest there is little or no difference. The NIAAA says alcohol affects women differently than men. Women become more impaired than men do after drinking the same amount of alcohol, even when differences in body weight are taken into account.

This is because women's bodies have less water than men's bodies. Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol becomes more highly concentrated in a woman's body than in a man's.

In other words, it would be like dropping the same amount of alcohol into a much smaller pail of water. That is why the recommended drinking limit for women is lower than for men.

In addition, chronic alcohol abuse takes a heavier physical toll on women than on men. Alcohol dependence and related medical problems, such as brain, heart, and liver damage, progress more rapidly in women than in men. (See also "Publications," Alcohol Alert No. 62: Alcohol-An Important Women's Health Issue.)

Is it good for your health?

The U.K. study suggests that alcohol consumption is offers health benefits for seniors. There have been studies showing that moderate drinkers are less likely to die from one form of heart disease than are people who do not drink any alcohol or who drink more.

If you are a nondrinker, however, you should not start drinking solely to benefit your heart, advises the NIAA. You can guard against heart disease by exercising and eating foods that are low in fat.

Heavy drinking can actually increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure, as well as cause many other medical problems, such as liver cirrhosis, the agency reports.

What is a safe level of drinking?

The NIAAA recommends only one drink per day for women and older people. The agency defines "one drink" as one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

For most other adults, moderate alcohol use -up to two drinks per day, causes few if any problems, the NIAAA reports.

However, certain people should not drink at all, and these are:
  ●  Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
  ●  People who plan to drive or engage in other activities that require alertness and skill (such as driving a car)
  ●  People taking certain over-the-counter or prescription medications
  ●  People with medical conditions that can be made worse by drinking  
  ●  Recovering alcoholics
  ●  People younger than age 21.  

In the United States, 17.6 million people -about l in every 12 adults - abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. In general, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have alcohol problems.

Notes:

(See NIAAA "Publications/Pamphlets and Brochures" Age Page: Alcohol Use and Abuse.)

The Peninsula Medical School is a joint entity of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in the South West of England. The Peninsula Medical School has created for itself an excellent national and international reputation for groundbreaking research in the areas of diabetes and obesity, neurological disease, child development and ageing, clinical education and health technology assessment.

More information is available by logging on at www.pms.ac.uk.

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