August 14, 2024 – People over 60 who drink alcohol People are frequently exposed to an increased risk of early death, especially from cancer or cardiovascular problems.
According to the Results a brand new, comprehensive study published this week by JAMA network opened and depend on quite a few other recent studies that conclude that drinking any amount of alcohol is related to significant health risks. This is a departure from many years of health agency messaging that suggested moderate drinking (one or two drinks a day) was not dangerous. Recently, nonetheless, experts have uncovered errors that led researchers to those earlier conclusions.
In this latest study, researchers in Spain analyzed health data from greater than 135,000 people, all aged 60 or older, living within the United Kingdom and submitting their health information to the UK Biobank database. The average age of the individuals firstly of the evaluation period was 64 years.
The researchers compared the health of occasional drinkers over 12 years with those that drank at the least some alcohol on average day-after-day. The biggest health risks were found between occasional drinkers and other people the researchers called the “high-risk group.” Occasional drinkers drank lower than about two drinks per week. The high-risk group included men who drank a median of nearly three drinks or more per day and ladies who drank a median of about one and a half drinks or more per day. The evaluation showed that compared with occasional drinking, high-risk drinking was related to:
- A 33% increased risk of early death
- A 39% increased risk of dying from cancer
- A 21% increased risk of dying from heart and vascular problems
More moderate drinking habits were also related to a better risk of early death and cancer, and even drinking only a median of about one drink or less per day was related to an 11% higher risk of dying from cancer. Light and moderate drinkers were most in danger if additionally they had health problems or socioeconomic aspects reminiscent of living in less affluent neighborhoods.
The results also suggested that the danger could also be lower for those who drink mostly wine or drink it mostly with meals. However, the researchers call for further studies on these topics as “it may be mainly due to a healthier lifestyle, slower alcohol absorption or non-alcoholic components in the drinks.”
A recent Gallup poll showed that Americans' attitudes toward the health effects of alcohol are changing overall: 65 percent of young adults (ages 18 to 34) say that drinking alcohol can have negative health effects. But only 39 percent of adults ages 55 and older agreed that drinking alcohol is harmful to health. According to Gallup, the gap between younger and older adults' views on alcohol consumption is wider than ever.