To drink or not to drink alcohol?
Why does it seem that alcohol and old age do not "get on well"? We didn´t use to spoil a single party and could drink all night long. However, as we turned 40, we barely make it half-way through and the next morning we feel tired.
It´s no use worrying about it, we all are in the same boat. It is a fact that human body has more difficulty coping with alcohol with every passing year. There are several reasons. The first is falling out of the habit. Compared to our carefree young age there are many more duties and problems on our plate and the chances to hit the bar are much more scarce. Our tolerance towards alcohol is therefore logically declining. And even if we trained ourselves back into the habit, we can´t fight against the physiological changes in our body that come with the advancing age.
According toa the scientists, the human body can best tackle alcohol between the age of 25 and 29. Later the metabolism of alcohol gets worse. One of the reasons is the gradual slowdown of the body´s metabolism, which has among other things effect on metabolism of alcohol. Our body also retains less and less water, in which the alcohol is dissolved. Together with the loss of muscle mass and increase in fat mass (muscles contain roughly 75% of water, while the fatty tissue only 10%), no wonder that it is hard for our body to deal with alcohol.
Last but not least it´s our liver, which naturally enlarges with increasing age. However, its blood circulation is decreasing and the number of liver cells "hepatocytes" and certain enzymes, for example dehydrogenases (essential in metabolism of alcohol) is decreasing as well.
So, to drink or not to drink? As one can see, there are many reasons why alcohol in old age should be limited. It´s not just about the physical changes, but there is also risk of mixing alcohol with certain medications, whose effect may be increased dangerously. Besides that, every doctor will confirm that alcohol puts a strain on the heart, blood circulation, liver and also damages memory. On the other hand, nothing should be taken to extremes, so you do not have to resort to complete abstinence. A glass of wine or two in good company won´t certainly do us any harm.