It could be expected that drinking alcohol reduces risk of frailty. That’s because drinking in moderation or even at fairly high levels reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. These diseases contribute greatly to frailty among older men and women.
This study looked at patterns of drinking alcohol and the risk of frailty. Researchers followed a total of 2,086 community-living adults age 60 and older for an average of 3.3 years.
Moderate drinking was having slightly under three drinks per day for men. It was a little under two drinks per day for women. (This is higher than the U.S. federal government guidelines.) A Mediterranean drinking pattern was defined as moderate alcohol consumption and only with meals. This is a very loose definition.
Study on Alcohol and Risk of Frailty
Frailty was defined as having two or more of following criteria from the Fried frailty index.1
- Self-reported exhaustion.
- Measured muscle weakness.
- Low level of physical activity.
- Slow walking speed.
During the follow-up period, 292 participants had developed frailty. Compared to non-drinkers, moderate drinkers had a 10% reduced risk of becoming frail during the period. Compared with abstainers, those who followed the Mediterranean drinking pattern had a 32% reduction in risk.
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Benefits of Moderate Drinking Result from Alcohol Itself.
Do Older Adults Drink Enough Alcohol for Good Health?
Drinking and Dementia, Alzheimer’s, & Memory Loss.
Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Disease & Mortality.
Drinking Alcohol and Falls among Older Adults.
Moderate Alcohol Drinking, Senility, and Longevity.
Risk of Dementia Reduced by Drinking Alcohol in Moderation.
Moderate Drinking among Older Women: Health Effects.
Reducing Frailty Important
Reducing the risk of frailty is important. Frailty is a strong predictor of falls, acute illness disabilities, institutionalization, and death.2 Reducing frailty would reduce great burdens on victims, their families, and society.
The researchers concluded that drinking alcohol reduces risk of frailty. And also that following a Mediterranean pattern of drinking reduces risk frailty dramatically among older adults.
Bottom line on drinking and risk of frailty? Drinking alcohol reduces risk of frailty.
Source
Ortola, R., et al. Patterns of alcohol consumption and risk of frailty in community-dwelling older adults. J Gerontol. Series A, Bio Sci Med Sci, 2015, also pub online Aug 22, 2015.
References
- Fried, L., et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol. Series A, Bio Sci Med Sci, 2001, 56:M146-M156.
- van Iersel, M., & Rikkert, M. Frailty criteria give heterogeneous results when applied in clinical practice. J Am Geriat Soc, 2006, 54(4), 728-729.
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid courtesy of Oldways. It, along with the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization, introduced it in 1993. Since then, Oldways has introduced Latin American, African, Asian, and Vegetarian/Vegan pyramids.