For people over 60, any alcohol consumption is harmful to health, even when it does not exceed the recommended limits.
- Researchers have looked at the effects of low alcohol consumption in people over 60.
- They found that even small doses of alcohol increased the risk of death from cancer and death from any cause.
- These risks are sometimes influenced by other factors, such as being physically active.
No more than ten glasses of alcohol per week, without exceeding two doses per day and not every day. These are the consumption benchmarks of Public Health France since 2017. A new study, published in JAMAshows that they should be even stricter for people over 60. According to its findings, even very moderate alcohol consumption is harmful for this category of the population.
Misconceptions about alcohol consumption
HAS CNNTimothy Naimi, who heads the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, recalls that “Alcohol is a carcinogen and contributes to about 50 different types of deaths.” This researcher, who did not participate in this research, simply sums it up: “Overall, alcohol is a health hazard”However, some ideas remain widespread: one or two glasses are not harmful to health, and could even be beneficial in the case of wine.
Different categories of “drinkers”, according to daily consumption
This new study helps to clarify the subject. It is based on the analysis of medical data from more than 135,000 people in their sixties. During their first meeting with the scientists, the participants answered detailed questionnaires about their alcohol consumption. This allowed the researchers to classify them: occasional, low-risk, moderate or high-risk drinkers. Low-risk drinkers were those consuming up to 10 grams of alcohol per day for women and 20 grams per day for men. Those in the moderate risk category were between 20 and 40 grams of alcohol per day for men and 10 to 20 grams for women. High-risk drinkers were those who reported having more than 40 grams of alcohol per day for men and 20 grams per day for women. As for occasional drinkers, they consumed less than 20 grams of alcohol per week.
Risky alcohol consumption, even in small doses
The study shows that there are risks at all levels of regular drinking. People at low risk had a 10% increased risk of dying from cancer, compared with people who only drank occasionally.Those at moderate risk had about a 10 to 15 percent higher risk of dying from any cause and dying from cancer compared with occasional drinkers, while high-risk drinkers were about 33 percent more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, and any other cause than those who drank only occasionally.”the authors note.
However, they observed that people who reported drinking mainly wine or drinking with meals had slightly lower risks of cancer and death, compared with those who drank only occasionally.What we think is that what causes this beneficial effect may not be the wine itself or consumption with meals, but other factors that we cannot control.”warns Rosario Ortola, co-author of the study. For example, these people could have other healthy behaviors that have beneficial effects on their risk of cancer or death, such as being physically active.
