A new study from Germany has found that drinking a lot can be the key to staying healthy and happy as an old person.
It writes the British daily newspaper The Times.
The study was presented at a meeting of the European Association of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC).
Drank at least four nights a week
628 people with an average age of 72 years participated in the study, which took place over a period of six months.
All participants were to undergo a planned, routine procedure at the University Hospital Bonn in Germany, and in connection with the study were interviewed about their drinking habits both before and after the operation.
– The onion notices when you cut it
The researchers asked the participants how they felt about their mood and quality of life, and compared this with how much alcohol they drank.
186 of the participants had a “medium to dangerous alcohol consumption”, according to the researchers’ classification. This applied to those who drank at least four evenings a week, or those who regularly drank the equivalent of two bottles of wine in one day.
Better health
This group had a significantly lower risk of becoming overweight than those who drank regularly – or not at all.
The group with heavy drinkers could also talk about better health and less pain. They also found it easier to carry out activities such as getting dressed or meeting the family.
– Something strange is happening in the universe
Women who drank “potentially unhealthy” amounts of alcohol reported a better quality of life throughout the study period.
– One explanation may be that higher alcohol consumption leads to elevated mood, improved social skills and reduced stress, says study author Vera Guttenthaler according to The Times.
sea view
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She says that the results may lead to a conclusion that alcohol drinking can help elderly patients to have a better quality of life both before and after a routine procedure.
– May be the reason
However, British experts warn that the study can not establish a link between cause and effect:
Tony Rao, who is a psychiatrist and works as an age consultant at King’s College London, believes that a higher self-reported quality of life can also be the cause of unhealthy alcohol consumption.
– Breastfed babies are smarter
He points out that this group can be more social and thus drink more. He believes they can also be generally healthier and thus able to drink at a high level without experiencing harmful effects on health.
Professor Kevin McConway from Open University votes in:
– It is possibly more likely that people who have a better quality of life as old people use alcohol. Maybe because they have better health to begin with, or because they have a different kind of social life, he says.
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