Experts caution present generation of elderly represents population of ‘unsafe’ alcohol level consumers

The increasing population of elderly over 65 years old are consuming an unsafe level of alcohol today, a new study reveals. According to health experts, one in five people over the said age are drinking more than the recommended amount which may lead to additional risks of ill health.

For older people, the government guidelines advise the unsafe level of alcohol is no more than 14 units of alcohol a week for women, or about seven 175ml glasses of wine, and men should only have 21 units a week, or the equivalent of seven pints of 5 percent beer. But the analysis found that in 9,248 people who are drinking alcohol, 21 percent are taking more than the safe recommended limits.

The researchers of the study, published in the British Medical Journal, found in the analysis of health records that 65 percent of the unsafe drinkers are male and those with relatively wealthy background. The analysis came from the medical records of 27,991 people aged over 65 living in London.

Aside being the heavy drinkers, the study found men cover 60 percent of the average alcohol consumers and are more likely from the white British and Irish population. Those people from Caribbean, African or Asian ethnic groups were found to less likely to drink.

The top 5 percent of those men in the study drank more than 49 units a week, while women consumed 23 units a week. The findings show that as the “Baby Boomer” generation gets older, they represent an increasing population of older people drinking at levels that pose a risk to their health, according to Dr Tony Rao, the report's lead author.

The researchers suggest imposing the need for greater awareness of the potential for alcohol related harm in older people, particularly those of higher socioeconomic status. Rao added that those older people may suffer the consequences of ill health from alcohol at an earlier age than those in previous generations.

Professor Mark Bellis, alcohol spokesman for the Faculty of Public Health, also suggest alcohol products should carry clear health warnings, especially for older drinkers to help them make informed decisions about their alcohol consumption.

"It's easy for people to slip into a routine of drinking half a bottle of wine a night without knowing it increases their risks of health problems such as cancer and can take years off their life span,” Bellis said.

The authors noted that the results from inner-city London may not apply to other areas of the UK because of different demographics. And even if the study contains an almost complete sample of older people in the area, the participants may under-reported their alcohol consumption to their GP.

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