Older folks may have unhealthy drinking habits

By Joene Hendry

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One out of every 10 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older may be drinking alcohol at levels deemed potentially unhealthy, researchers report.

"Risks of excessive alcohol use may include exacerbation of some medical problems, detrimental impact on functioning, risk of falls, and medication interactions," Dr. Elizabeth L. Merrick told Reuters Health. Older adults have a higher sensitivity and poorer ability to metabolize alcohol than younger adults, said Merrick, of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

People aged 65 years and older should drink no more than 7 alcoholic drinks a week and no more than 3 drinks on any single day, according to recommendations from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Geriatrics Society.

Merrick and colleagues found that most of the 12, 413 Medicare beneficiaries assessed for alcohol consumption through a 2003 Medicare survey reported drinking no more than recommended levels.

Overall, 65 percent of this predominately white, non-Hispanic, community-living group reported no alcohol consumption during a typical month in the previous year, while another 26 percent reported consumption within guideline levels, they report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

By contrast, 9 percent reported drinking in excess of 30 alcoholic drinks a month or 4 or more drinks in any single day in a typical month. Of these, 16 percent were men and 4 percent were women.

Merrick's team found that higher education and income levels, better health status, younger age, smoking, male gender, and being white was associated with "unhealthy" drinking, as was being divorced, separated, or single.

"At-risk or unhealthy drinking is often missed by health care and other providers," Merrick said. Also, older adults may not know that recommended limits are lower than those for younger people.

These findings provide current, generalisable information useful for targeted prevention messages, the investigators conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, February 2008