Mixed Message For Older Drinkers

Two new studies in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society look at the drinking habits of people over 65 and what it means for their health, reports Health Correspondent Dr. Dave Hnida of CBS Station KCNC-TV in Denver.

The good news is that moderate drinking reduces the risk of heart disease in older adults, just as it does in younger people. People over 65 cut their risk in half if they have two or more drinks per week.

Elderly drinkers who drank moderately in the study showed higher levels of good cholesterol than nondrinkers and seemed to benefit no matter which type of alcohol they preferred.

Does that mean people who are older should start drinking in moderation?

Not necessarily, says Hnida. Drinking too much alcohol comes with risks as well. In fact, the other study found that heavy drinking is a common problem among older adults and can cause all kinds of other health problems.

Older people who drink heavily are much more likely to suffer from confusion, memory problems, falls, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal problems. Older people also tend to have other health problems that can be intensified by alcohol, and they have a higher risk of alcohol interacting with drugs they may be taking for those problems. That can cause some serious side effects.

Surprisingly, the study found that large numbers of older people were heavy drinkers or binge drinkers at high risk from these problems. Of about 3,500 people in the study, 16 percent of the men and 15 percent of the women fell into the "heavy drinker" category.

In the study, "heavy drinking" was defined, for men, as more than two drinks per day and, for women, more than one drink per day.