"The current US recommendation of one drink per day for an older adult, by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, may be restrictive." That's the provocative conclusion of a recent, detailed review of studies on the health effects of moderate drinking among older adults. "Emerging findings," the authors also point out, suggest that those over 65 "who consumed up to two drinks per day had no greater disability or mortality than those who consumed up to one per drink per day." Not only are these older moderate drinkers at "no greater disability," but older moderate drinkers benefit from a wide array of positive health associations, the authors point out. Among those benefits, detailed in the study and familiar to AII readers:
- Data from "more than 100 studies across 25 countries consistently demonstrate" an association between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk for coronary heart disease. "The relationship holds for mortality."
- Research suggests "that alcohol/wine can exert protective effects against other diseases such as cancer, diabetes, inflammatory liver disease and lower extremity arterial disease."
- "Reports of positive effects of alcohol/wine intake on bone density in older women."
- "There are emerging data to suggest that moderate alcohol intake is associated with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia." Given the number of aging adults in the world population, the authors point out, additional research in this area "could provide important clarification."
While the authors detail the benefits of moderate drinking -- which they define as 1-3 drinks/day - among older adults, they also describe the well-known "detriments of immoderate consumption," including liver disease, hepatitis and promotion of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, etc. Given the fast-growing number of aging adults around the globe, sheer numbers suggest "a silent epidemic" of alcohol use disorders "may be emerging." As a result, screening for potential problems, diagnostic criteria and recommendations specific to the elderly "are in need of refinement." A final, common sense observation from the authors also puts a new twist on the alcohol's historically ambivalent place in American culture, the science and the language. Because alcohol is an "energy-yielding molecule that is not physiologically required," the authors point out, "it is often classified as a drug rather than as a nutrient." Neither definition is "incorrect," they add. But: "Perhaps it could be considered a drug when used in immoderate doses and as a nutrient when used in moderation as part of a balanced diet." Hence their overall perspective that alcohol "can be considered either a tonic or a toxin," depending on how much is consumed. Ref 1