Let’s say you are
over 50, healthy, active and financially well 0ff. Congrats, those are all good things. The bad thing, according to research recently published in the British Medical Journal Open, is that those good things come with a higher risk of harmful drinking. That finding is based on more than 9,000 responses to two surveys of people over 50, who live independently in England. What exactly is harmful drinking?  The researchers used national guidance to define increasing risk of harmful drinking at 22-50 weekly units for men and 15 to 35 weekly units for women; and higher risk, at more than 50 and more than 35 weekly units, respectively, for men and women. They found that the risk of harmful drinking peaked for men in their early 60s and then gradually tailed off, whereas for women risky drinking fell in tandem with age. Wait, there’s more: Income was associated with a higher risk, but only among women, while smoking, higher educational attainment, and good health were all linked to heightened risk in both sexes. Higher risk of harmful drinking was more common among men of white ethnicity. Caring responsibilities lowered the probability of being at higher risk among women, but religious belief did notâ€â€for either sex. Employment status did not seem to be a significant factor, but women who had retired were more likely to be at higher risk.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Monday, April 21, 2025
What is a “weekly unit”?
What is a “unit” of alcohol? Is it the usual 1.5oz of hard liquor (- to 6 oz of wine or 8 oz of beer)?
A unit is one drink. Weekly units are the number of drinks per week.