A substantial number of older adults are drinking at higher than recommended levels and it is a growing problem that is often ignored or missed by many healthcare providers. A study of 12,413 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or older found than nine percent consumed more alcohol than recommended in health guidelines.

Researchers at Brandeis University found that about two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries do not drink at all and 25 percent drink within recommended guidelines. But the remaining nine percent drink more than 30 drinks during a month or more than four drinks in any one sessions during a month.

"Even though alcohol problems are more prevalent in younger people, a substantial proportion of older adults are consuming alcohol in amounts that exceed recommended guidelines," said study co-author Elizabeth Merrick, in a news release. "The study sheds light on a complex problem that has received scant attention and is often missed by health care and other providers."

Lower Recommended Limits

Merrick said older people may not be aware that recommended alcohol limits are lower for them than for younger people. Older adults are more sensitive to alcohol and less able to metabolize it, she said, both of which contribute to adverse effects at any level of drinking.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the American Geriatrics Society, people 65 or older are engaged in risky drinking if they have more than seven drinks per week or more than three drinks on a single day. But there are some who suggest that the single-occasion drink limit should be no more than two drinks and that women should drink even lower overall amounts than men, the researchers wrote.

Other Risk Factors

Drinking at an older age can have additional negative effects:

• Exacerbate some medical conditions
  
• Reduce the ability to function
  
• Increase the risk of falling
  
• Negatively interact with medication

"The relationship between alcohol consumption and risk is complex. Our study focused only on amounts of alcohol consumed. There are many people for whom lower amounts or even any amount of alcohol may constitute a serious risk because of specific medical problems or medication interactions," explained Merrick. "All of these factors must be taken into account, along with the perhaps more highly publicized benefits of moderate drinking for some people."

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Related Information:

• Risk Factors Can Help Identify Elderly Alcoholics
  
• Alcohol and Aging
  
• Seniors Drinking Mostly Unreported, Undiagnosed
  
  

^{Photo: Clipart.com}