Drinking booze might be part of your weekly plans, but if you’re still drinking alcohol past this certain age, it could mean bad news for your health.
So, party culture is kind of a protected aspect of being British, am I right?
Whether it’s a tipple at a birthday party, a shot for good luck, a pre-drink before your main drinks, and then after-drinks, there’s always something we’re drinking about.
But this could all come to a head when you turn a certain age and your years of living it up catches up with you.
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Drinkaware found that 48 percent of UK adults drank at least one day a week in 2022, and when Alcohol Change UK surveyed people in 2018, 29.2 million people admitted to drinking in the week leading up to being surveyed.
So, it’s clear to see how much us Brits cherish our drinking habits.
However, it has now been revealed at what age you should really leave your love for alcohol in the past, otherwise you could be at risk of developing cancer or liver disease.
American neurologist Dr Richard Restak shared in his 2021 book, The Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind, that there is a relation between alcohol and our memory.
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He wrote that drinking into your golden years may be a regrettable decision, as alcohol can alter the impact of our neurons (nerve cells).
"Alcohol is a very, very weak neurotoxin – it’s not good for nerve cells," he wrote.
He then went on to explain that from the age of 65, your body has less neurons than before, but with studies suggesting that we may only lose between '2 to 4 percent' of neurons across our lifetime, it’s still a good idea to keep up with your brain health.
He wrote: "It is essential to abstain from alcohol at a stage in life where preserving neurons is crucial."
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Dr Restak claimed that people should significantly decrease their alcohol consumption around the age of 65 and go t-total at 70.
"I strongly suggest that if you are 65 years old or older, that you completely and permanently eliminate alcohol from your diet."
According to the University of Rochester Medical Centre, they believe that it’s the exact same age you should quit drinking alcohol too.
However, this is because of alcohol’s effect on medications and health conditions.
Its website states: “Some health problems in people older than age 65, and the medicines used to treat them, can get worse with alcohol's effects. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, and ulcers.”
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Not only can drinking alcohol mess with your meds, but ‘heavy alcohol use can also lead to other health problems, such as cancer and liver disease'.
The University notes that in older adults, drinking isn’t just bad for your organs and health, but it can also make you prone to physical harm, as agreed by Dr Restak.
It states: “As you age, you become more sensitive to alcohol’s effects. After age 65, your lean body mass and water content drop. And your metabolism slows down. Alcohol stays in your system longer. So the amount of alcohol in your blood is higher than it would have been when you were younger.
“Older adults also are more likely to have balance, hearing, and eyesight problems. They have slower reaction times, too. This puts them at higher risk for falls, broken bones, and car crashes tied to drinking.”
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Dr Restak also believes that cutting out alcohol can minimise our risk of developing dementia.
According to data shared by Alzheimer's Society, people who drank excessively were at a higher rate of developing the disease.
Say goodbye to the bubbly, and hello to the hot choccy!
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Britt Jones