People who drink a lot of alcohol could put themselves at risk of muscle wasting in old age.
- Sarcopenia corresponds to a progressive and generalized loss of muscle mass, strength and quality from the age of 50.
- It increases the risk of falls, fractures causing immobilization and increasing the duration of hospitalization.
- In the study, people who drank about a bottle of wine a day had the least muscle.
“Sarcopenia is defined by a progressive and generalized loss of mass, strength and quality of the entire musculature from the age of 50, which can eventually lead to a reduction of more than 30% of the initial muscle mass, noted Inserm. This disorder is associated with an increased risk of falls, fractures, immobilizations, length of hospitalization, risks of infection and dependence of affected adults.
“Alcohol may affect musculoskeletal health during aging”
Recently, scientists from the University of East Anglia (England) established a link between sarcopenia and the consumption of alcoholic beverages. “Alcohol may impair musculoskeletal health during aging, but this association has not been sufficiently explored,” they wrote in a study published in the journal Calcified Tissue International. As part of the work, the researchers looked at data from the UK Biobank, a database containing anonymous information about the lifestyle and health of half a million people in the UK. In total, the information of nearly 200,000 people, aged 37 to 73, was studied.
“We looked at how much alcohol people consumed and compared it to how much muscle they had based on their height. We also took things into account, such as protein intake, level of physical activity and other factors that may influence their musculoskeletal health”, explained Jane Skinner, author of the work, in a statement.
Sarcopenia: the least muscular adults drank about a bottle of wine a day
According to the results, heavy drinkers were at risk of suffering from muscle wasting. Using statistical modeling, the authors found that the less muscular participants drank about a bottle of wine or four or five pints a day. “We know that loss of muscle mass with age leads to problems with weakness and frailty, which provides yet another reason to avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol regularly in middle and early adulthood. and advanced”said Ailsa Welch, co-author of the research.
