Norwich Health Alert: Heavy drinking leads to muscle loss. Doctor Explains | State

Senior Health

Table of Contents

The big picture: Dr. Lindsay Boik-Price says: “Drinking harms you in many ways. “

In the news: New research is showing that heavy drinking during your younger years puts your body at risk due to negative “effects on muscle mass” in your middle and older years.

This finding has direct implications for you in Connecticut.

Did you know that 17.7% of you binge drink in New London County?

Key Findings

The research indicated that there was a correlation between low muscle mass and heavy drinking. In effect, those who drank more lost more muscle.

The researchers noted that even though they weren’t able to create a direct relationship, the evidence is clearly suggesting that even after accounting for differences in body sizes and other factors, “those who drank a lot of alcohol had a lower amount of skeletal muscle compared to people who drank less…” Dr. Jane Skinner.

The data shows that people who drank approximately a bottle of wine a day had the highest amount of muscle loss as they entered their 50s and 60s.

Next steps: Understand that excessive drinking of alcohol can have systemic detrimental effects on your body and wellness.

If you’re a senior citizen, you may want to stop entirely.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has a great resource on how to approach quitting. (Visit Resource Here)

Did you know that 21.0% of people living in New London County drink excessively?
14.0% of you in New London County are in frequent mental distress?

*** A new couplet to sing: A bottle a day/makes your muscles go away.”***

The Health Standard Newswire

Doctor’s Expert Insights about Excessive Drinking and Your Health

Know this: “Look, the science is getting more and more clear by the day, alcohol is not good for the body. If you can, I suggest that you quit. One way to being the process of quitting is to have ‘alcohol-free days’ in your life. This can become a powerful tool to control your alcohol consumption. By committing to specific days in the week when you refrain from drinking, you can break the routine of daily drinking. This will reduce your overall alcohol intake. And this, in turn, provides an opportunity for your body to recover, while you build healthier habits into your lifestyle. Also, don’t be shy to talk to your healthcare provider about your desire to quit. We’re here to help!” Dr. Adrianna Davis, Family Medicine.

You’re not alone in fighting excessive drinking.

The Health Standard Newswire

Living in Norwich, the following health facts impact your well-being directly!

Did you know that 15.5% of the adults living in New London County smoke?

31.3% of you living in New London County are obese.

56.1% of you are taking medicines for high blood pressure.

All three of these variables, when combined, or taken alone, negatively impact your health if you drink excessively.

Alcoholism is not always obvious.

Image courtesy: CDC/Preventing Chronic Disease.

What they’re saying:

“Alcohol intake is a major modifiable risk factor for many diseases. Alcohol can also damage skeletal muscle health during ageing which in turn increases risk of sarcopenia, frailty and falls but this relationship is understudied. The aim of this study was to model the relationship between a full range of alcohol consumption and components of sarcopenic risk, skeletal muscle mass and function, in middle-aged and younger older-aged men and women.” (Study Source)

“Our results suggest that alcohol may have detrimental effects on muscle mass at higher levels of consumption in middle- and older-aged people. Further data are required to confirm these findings and understand the inconsistencies in the results found between muscle mass and strength. Nevertheless, these data suggest another reason to avoid high habitual consumption of alcohol in middle and early older age.” (Study Source)

Sources:

The Journal Calcified Tissue International published the findings: Alcohol Consumption and Measures of Sarcopenic Muscle Risk: Cross-Sectional and Prospective Associations Within the UK Biobank Study (Read it Here)

Alcoholism Facts and Stats for Norwich: (NIH)