Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages in very old age and survival

In one of the first studies among the very old, abstention and heavy use of alcoholic beverages seems to be associated with a shorter survival compared to light-to-moderate drinking.

In this study, the personal and health-related characteristics associated with different levels of alcohol consumption among the oldest old (ages 76-101) as well as the link between the intake of alcoholic beverages and survival rate  were examined. Each additional drink/month in the light to moderate drinkers (0.5-30 drinks/months) was related to a longer survival. The results suggest a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption and survival which appears to be largely explained by differences in baseline health, function and other characteristics.

Agahi, N., Kelfve, S., Lennartsson, C., Kareholt, I, Alcohol consumption in very old age and its association with survival: A matter of health and physical function, 2015, Drug and Alcohol Dependence,xxx-xxx

Http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.12.022

For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.