Alcohol: why older people tolerate less

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Alcohol has a stronger effect on the elderly - and can become dangerous more quickly. The Federal Center for Health Education, BZgA warns of this.

The liver is no longer the youngest either

The body changes with age. The liver is also no longer the youngest and works more slowly. The alcohol stays in the blood longer and longer. In addition, the amount of fluid in the body decreases with age. Each glass therefore causes a higher concentration of alcohol in the blood than in younger years - and accordingly has a stronger effect.

"Previously 'well-tolerated' amounts can therefore have a stronger effect with increasing age," warns Prof. Heidrun Thaiss, head of the BZgA.

Attention, interactions!

In addition, most older people take medication - many even take several at the same time. Then the risk of interactions is particularly high. It becomes critical, for example, when alcohol is combined with some antihypertensive agents and anti-diabetic drugs.

Alcohol is also strongly discouraged for people who take antidepressants - at any age. On the one hand, beer & Co. can increase the dampening effect of some antidepressants, which increases the risk of accidents on the road, for example. Second, alcohol can make depression worse.

The risk of falling increases with every glass

And there are other risks: “Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of falls and other accidents because it affects balance and reaction time. These effects can occur in older people even if small amounts are consumed, ”says Thaiss. Since old bones break faster, the risk of fracture injuries in accidents is particularly high.

Alcohol consumption can also worsen existing health problems such as osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, memory loss, and mood lability - all problems that tend to occur with age.

Information offered by the BZgA on the subject

The federal headquarters recently expanded its range of health information for the elderly.

The new leaflet from the BZgA "Alcohol in old age" can be found on the following page, ordered free of charge or downloaded:

https://www.kenn-dein-limit.de/alkohol/infomaterial/allgemeine-informationen/

In addition, older people, their relatives and specialists can find out more about alcohol consumption in old age at www.kenn-dein-limit.de/alkohol/im-alter/. This website also provides practical information on how alcohol consumption can be reduced and where those affected can find advice and help.

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