These are not just college students. New study says seniors also consume alcohol



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A new study reveals that excessive consumption of alcohol is also a habit among the elderly.

According to findings published Wednesday in the journal of the American Society of Geriatrics, just over 10% of older people consume alcohol, which exposes them to a risk of health problems. Researchers interviewed more than 10,000 adults over 64 years of age on their alcohol consumption in the previous month, between 2015 and 2017.

Excessive consumption of alcohol is considered risky behavior for the elderly because of physical changes related to aging, such as an increased risk of falling, experts said. The likelihood of having chronic health problems is also a concern for larger occasional drinkers.

"Alcohol abuse, even episodic or infrequent, can negatively affect other health conditions by exacerbating the disease, interacting with prescribed medications and complicating the management of the disease", said Dr. Benjamin Han, lead author of the study and badistant professor at NYU Langone Health.

The excessive occasional consumption of alcohol is defined as five or more glbades for men and four or more drinks for women in about two hours, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and alcoholism. And excessive consumption of alcohol contributes to 88,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The most common chronic diseases in older people who drink excessively are high blood pressure: 41.4% of respondents reported suffering from this disease, heart disease with 23.1%, followed by diabetes with 17 , 7%. the study found.

"Our results underscore the importance of educating, screening and intervening to prevent the harms of alcohol in older adults, who may not be aware of their increased risk of injury and how alcohol can exacerbate chronic diseases, "Han said.

The results of the study also suggest that cannabis users and men are at a much higher risk of excessive consumption of alcohol. This study points out that the combined use of cannabis and excessive binge drinking has more harmful effects than either substance.

Marijuana use is also becoming more prevalent among older adults, and frequent use can be dangerous for adults who may not be informed or aware of the increased effects of alcohol use with marijuana , according to experts.

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