Shall we have a drink, good friend?
The Royal Psychiatric College of London has published the first report of a group studying alcohol abuse among the elderly, "Our invisible addicts" ("Our hidden alcoholics").
A fragment of the cover of the report, decorated with taste and in accordance with the title
The document is mainly devoted to the problem of latent alcoholism in old age. It also contains recommendations for psychiatrists and family doctors to identify and treat elderly people who abuse alcohol and other addictive substances.
It is obvious that the average elderly person is more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than he is, but in those times when the water was wetter – especially if chronic diseases, decreased muscle mass, malnutrition, etc. are added to the "just age". However, it should be borne in mind that the frequency of age-associated disability has been decreasing in recent years therefore, the state of health of modern 65-year-olds is better than the state of health of their peers of the last generation.
The members of The International Forum on Alcohol Research agreed on the exceptional importance of identifying hidden alcoholics among elderly people and highly appreciated the recommendations contained in the report for practicing physicians. However, at the same time, they (perhaps based not on dry theories, but on practical study of the subject :) they point to a number of shortcomings of the report due to the exceptional complexity of making recommendations for a very diverse population, the only criterion for inclusion in which was the 65-year age limit. This population includes both individuals who are able to run marathon distances, and people with very poor health.
The report did not focus on discussing the important role that moderate alcohol consumption can play in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia and osteoporosis. International experts on alcohol consumption believe that the recommendation to healthy elderly people who consciously consume a moderate amount of alcoholic beverages to completely give up alcohol or significantly reduce the usual dose may have the opposite effect, especially with regard to the risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system.
An increasing amount of data suggests that the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia is lower among moderate drinkers than among teetotallers. Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the main causes of disability and death in the elderly. The results of epidemiological studies indicate that regular consumption of flavonoid-rich foods or beverages (red wines) reduces the risk of dementia by 50%, promotes the preservation of cognitive function in old age, postpones the manifestation of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and reduces the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Moreover, scientific data consistently demonstrate a higher quality of life and lower mortality among moderately drinking elderly people, compared with the population that refuses to indulge in this pleasure.
Considering that the influence of moderate alcohol consumption on the state of the cardiovascular system of the elderly is much more pronounced than its effect on the cardiovascular health of the young, modern recommendations on limiting the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed by healthy elderly people who consciously approach this issue may not be entirely adequate.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on materials from Boston University Medical Center –
Critique 045: Alcohol drinking in the elderly: Risks and benefits.
28.06.2011