The holidays are here and with them come, for some at least, good-natured, drunken evenings. Many of us will be made aware of one particular fact of getting older: our hangovers get worse. But why do we tolerate alcohol less well as we get older?
The difficulty in tolerating alcohol with age depends on training, according to Dr. Thomas Orban, a general practitioner and alcohologist. He says that some people are highly trained throughout their lives and tolerate alcohol better than others. Others, on the other hand, are less used to it and will therefore tolerate it less well.
With age, the brain decreases in capacity. It is less efficient, it works slower. Unlike cocaine or nicotine, alcohol is a drug that kills neurons. So inevitably, when the brain ages, it is not ideal to inflict on it a product that kills the remaining neurons we have left.
Alcohol is a toxic product. It is not made for the body. There are doses at which alcohol is much more toxic. "In the elderly, the consumption benchmark is one drink a day," Dr. Orban told RTBF. “While for the younger audience, we are talking about two drinks a day. In all cases, it is advisable to have at least one to two days without alcohol consumption per week. In an elderly person who consumes episodically, it is advisable never to exceed two glasses.”
These recommendations are related to brain toxicity. An elderly person's body has other contingencies: their liver and kidneys function less well. However, these organs are used to detoxify what we have ingested. This explains quite logically that it is better to consume less alcohol when you are older.
According to Dr. Orban, we are all unequal when it comes to alcohol. "We must stop believing that we all have the same abilities when it comes to alcohol," he says. “Whether in terms of cerebral, liver or other capacities. You have to get to know yourself and listen to your body's signals. For ordinary mortals, it is recommended to be even more vigilant beyond the age of 65 to 70. Beyond ten units per week, we put our health at risk. We risk living shorter and worse. Alcohol is also one of the first factors that causes cancer whether you are a woman or a man.”
"Have fun, and have a drink,” the alcohologist says. “Alcohol is a good social lubricant, but on the other hand, know how you drink and how much you drink." says Dr.:
Orban suggests we follow this advice:
- Never drink fast. The blood alcohol level rises very quickly and disconnects the frontal brain (the part of the brain that decides). “So we're going to make bad decisions and the first one usually is: have another drink.”
- Never drink alone. If you live alone, don't be tempted by alcohol. Better to have a drink in the company of someone.
- Never drink when you’re not feeling good.
- Be careful, especially for people who are of a certain age, not to mix alcohol with medication. The older you get, the more you tend to take medication. However, these products are not edible with alcohol. Some products even negate the effect of drugs.
- Don't drink on an empty stomach.
