Older People More Impaired by Social Drinking, More
Likely to Think They are OK
It's not clear why but it seems to be a difference in
alcohol metabolism: alcohol may affect the brain of older adults
differently.
March 5, 2009 - Older adults may be more affected
by a couple of glasses of wine than their younger counterparts are - yet
they are less likely to be aware of it, a new study suggests. The
findings suggest that older adults should be particularly careful about
driving after social drinking.
"How many times have you asked someone, 'Are you OK
to drive?'" said senior researcher Sara Jo Nixon, Ph.D., of the
University of Florida Gainesville.
The problem, according to Nixon, is that there is a
"disassociation" between people's perceptions of their abilities after a
few drinks and their actual capabilities.
And this may be particularly true of older adults,
Nixon and her colleagues found, according to the report published in the
March issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
For their study, the researchers recruited 42
adults between the ages of 50 and 74, and 26 adults ages 25 to 35.
Participants were randomly assigned to drink either a moderate amount of
alcohol or a nonalcoholic "placebo" beverage. Each person in the alcohol
group was given enough to achieve the same blood alcohol level.
Next, all participants completed the so-called
Trail Making Test, which requires takers to connect numbered and
lettered dots, in order, as quickly as possibly. It gauges visual-motor
coordination, planning and the ability to move from one thought to the
next.
They took the test twice, 25 minutes and 75 minutes
after drinking.
In general, the researchers found, older adults in
the alcohol group performed more poorly on the first test than their
younger counterparts did - an age gap not seen in the placebo group.
Yet, when asked how they subjectively felt, the
older drinkers thought they were less impaired.
The extra effects of alcohol on seniors are subtle,
Nixon pointed out, but could become important behind the wheel of a car.
Her advice to older social drinkers: "Sit around
for a while and let the alcohol metabolize. Don't drink and run - stay
and have dessert."
It's not clear why the same blood level of alcohol
would affect older and younger adults differently. But it does not seem
to be a difference in alcohol metabolism, Nixon said. Instead, she
explained, alcohol may affect the brain of older adults differently.
Nixon also pointed out that the study looked only
at the immediate effects of alcohol and does not speak to the potential
long-term effects of social drinking on brain function. Many studies
have suggested that moderate drinking - such as a glass of wine each day
- may have long-term health benefits, including a lower risk of heart
disease.
Background:
The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
is the oldest alcohol/addiction research journal published in the United
States today (formerly the Journal of Studies on Alcohol [1975-2006] and
the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol [1940-1974]). It is a
not-for-profit journal based at the Center of Alcohol Studies at
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ. The journal
is online at
www.jsad.com.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
March 5, 2009 - Older adults may be more affected
by a couple of glasses of wine than their younger counterparts are - yet
they are less likely to be aware of it, a new study suggests. The
findings suggest that older adults should be particularly careful about
driving after social drinking.
Two percent lower lung cancer risk with each glass of
red wine consumed per month
Nixon also pointed out that the study looked only
at the immediate effects of alcohol and does not speak to the potential
long-term effects of social drinking on brain function. Many studies
have suggested that moderate drinking - such as a glass of wine each day
- may have long-term health benefits, including a lower risk of heart
disease.