HHS HealthBeat (March 10, 2009)

A Toast for Seniors

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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Researchers think that seniors in good health can increase their odds of staying that way with light to moderate drinking – basically, no more than 15 drinks in a week.

The researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA wanted to see if healthy seniors who drank a little regularly were less likely to develop disabilities. They checked national survey data on almost 4,300 people over five years.

Dr. Arun Karlamangla:

[Dr. Arun Karlamangla speaks]"The light to moderate drinkers did remarkably better – about 23 percent lower odds of getting a new disability – compared to the abstainers."

But this benefit was seen only in those who started in good or excellent health and not in those in poor or fair health. 

The study in the American Journal of Epidemiology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: March, 10 2009