The fact that alcohol is tolerated worse and worse with age has proven biological reasons: why it is worth limiting alcohol after 40 years?

As we age, our body is getting worse and worse at neutralizing any poisons.. Alcohol, no matter how the advertising industry tries to romanticize it, is poison, according to Pannochka, an Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old.. net According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 88,000 people in the United States die each year from alcohol-related illnesses. It is the third preventable cause of death after smoking and physical inactivity..

Experts report a sharp increase in the consumption of alcoholic beverages by developed countries in the period from December to January. On the eve of the holidays, this is a special problem..

Although alcohol affects everyone, it is the hardest for the elderly.

Dr. Brad Lander, addiction specialist at Wexner Medical Center, warns of the powerful effects of alcohol on the aging brain. A seemingly small dose of wine can seriously disturb an elderly person's reaction and balance, leading to accidents and dangerous injuries..

Although alcohol is often associated with car accidents, for older people the simplest actions - such as climbing stairs - after a drink can easily end up in hospitalization and a New Year's Eve in traumatology..

Is a glass of wine a day safe?

Everyone has heard of studies praising a glass of wine a day as a panacea for cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, and a bunch of other diseases.. But keep in mind that these observations do not prove a causal relationship between alcohol and morbidity.. On the one hand, this glass of wine could have prevented a heart attack.. On the other hand, people with healthy hearts could simply drink more..

Family physician Joel Garrison from Monroe, US says wine's cardiovascular effects are mixed. There is some evidence that it reduces the risk of heart attack. At the same time, there is other evidence that even the smallest amount of alcohol increases the risk of stroke.. The pros are at least outweighed by the cons.

According to Dr. Harrison, alcohol abuse in its golden years is clearly associated with a " Since the brain, subject to age-related changes at the vascular and cellular level, copes worse with alcohol toxins, it is damaged faster than in young people.. This threatens the development of cognitive impairments, psychoemotional disorders, decreased vision, neuropathic pain, surges in blood pressure.

Scientists have proven that such effects are possible even outside the window of acute alcoholic intoxication, when a person remains sober and considers his habit "

There is another danger - alcohol makes it difficult to diagnose..

“Outward signs of drunkenness and Alzheimer's can mix, misleading the doctor. Sometimes a doctor can misdiagnose dementia or mental illness when the patient is simply drinking too much, ”warns Dr. Lander..

Elderly people turn to alcohol as a means of self-comfort to kill the boredom and sadness associated with loss of loved ones, isolation, impending death. Doctors say many patients take one or two glasses to sleep and do not notice when it becomes a vicious self-medication cycle.

Alcohol at the cellular level.

Outward signs of abuse pale in comparison to what goes on inside.

Psychotherapist Brooke Sproul, clinical director and owner of My LA Therapy, talks about the destructive effects of alcohol on cells. We are talking about the very telomeres - DNA sections that protect genetic information and shorten during aging.

“Telomeres shorten every time a cell divides, and subsequently they become so short that the cell can no longer divide.. This is one of the reasons the body is vulnerable to disease and other environmental stressors such as alcohol exposure, ”explains Dr. Sproul..

Here is a biological reason why it is worth limiting alcohol after 40 years..

Dr. Jagdish Khubchandani, professor of medicine at Ball State University in Indiana, warns of the widespread effects of alcohol on all areas of the brain due to ethanol's ability to easily cross the blood-brain barrier.. Alcohol can have a direct effect on diseases to which you are already genetically predisposed, including age-related brain diseases.

Ethanol activates specific receptors in nerve cells, triggering a cascade of neurotransmitter release - chemical transmitters. The imbalance of these substances can affect literally everything, including the coordination of simple and complex actions, memorization of information and psycho-emotional state. Because of this, long-term drinking in middle and old age is associated with neurological and mental diseases.. According to Dr. Khubchandani, the action of this poison manifests itself both on the physical (literal "

What are the risks of alcohol lovers after 40 years.

You don't have to be an alcoholic to cause irreparable harm to your health.

Dr. Lander names the most serious risks:.

• Clinical depression.

• Dementia with early onset.

• Persistent sexual dysfunction.

• Diseases of the digestive system.

• Several types of cancer, etc..

US National Institute of Aging warns that alcohol can worsen diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, ulcers, pancreatitis, and hypertension. Bad habit contributes to memory and thinking impairment, sleep disturbance and mood changes. Alcohol affects the stability of the heart and blood vessels, sometimes dulling the symptoms of a heart attack and making it difficult to diagnose. Tolerance to alcohol more often develops in older people, since their body contains more fat - it significantly slows down the metabolism of ethanol.

Finally, an extra drink can have social and economic consequences, as most older people live alone on a fixed, modest income..

The acceptable rate of alcohol after 40 years is seven drinks per week, but no more than three drinks during the day. In the presence of health problems and taking certain medications, this rate may be limited by the doctor, depending on the situation..

If you can give up alcohol altogether, it's time to do it..

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