Prior to that, she was the senior editor for the TODAY Show. She started her career as a general news and lifestyle reporter and has interviewed legends like Maya Angelou and covered the 2014 Olympics from Sochi, Russia. Vidya Rao is a freelance writer and multimedia content creator with more than a decade of experience specializing in wellness, food and small business journalism. She’s passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices.
Alcohol and Aging
Broken capillaries, the tiny blood vessels near the surface of the skin, tend to crop up as you get older. If you drink too much, the blood vessels can burst, causing red spots and spidery splotches. Older drinkers are maybe even more likely to experience this. Therefore, drinking alcohol can compound the natural effects of aging. The results show that the clock ticks faster among heavy alcohol drinkers but slower among light to moderate drinkers. People who consistently misuse alcohol over time are also at greater risk of developing alcohol use disorder.
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It’s not just that alcohol shortens the ends of chromosomes, which are responsible for the genetic stability of the cell. It is not only that drinking makes the capillaries weaken, the skin dehydrated, and fibroblast cells that restore elastin fibers to die. Every alcoholic drink goes “straight to your head,” or at least to your brain. Heavy drinking over a long time can shrink brain cells and lead to alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) and certain types of dementia. Symptoms of that include lack of judgment, organization, or emotional control, trouble staying focused, and anger issues. Sometimes, everyday activities can end up doing more harm than good.
Strategies to help cut back or quit drinking
Spending a lot of time in the sun without protecting your skin can make you look older than you are. Identifying these issues might help anyone better understand how to highlight their best features while embracing a youthful spirit. This article will uncover 12 common things that can add years to a woman’s appearance. Even accessories and posture can add years to someone’s appearance.
That’s why you often have to urinate more frequently when you’re drinking. Normally, the body creates a hormone called vasopressin, which helps your body retain review and comparison water, limiting the amount of fluid that you excrete through the renal system. This helps prevent you from becoming dehydrated when you’re not drinking.
New research suggests the risks of even moderate or light drinking may outweigh the benefits. In June, the World Health Organization said that no level of alcohol consumption is fda drug safety communication safe for our health. And a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health found that binge drinking among adults ages 35 to 50 has reached historic levels.
But heavy drinking, even occasionally, can have harmful effects. People older than 65 who don’t take any medications should average no more than one drink a day (seven per week) and have no more than three at one sitting. (A drink is one 12-ounce can or bottle of beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5-ounce shot of an 80-proof or less liquor.) Talk with your doctor to find out what’s right for you.
Also, older women are more sensitive than men to the effects of alcohol. Many people enjoy an alcoholic beverage or two on occasion with friends or family, but alcohol can be addictive. As we age, alcohol consumption can also make alcohol addiction and drug rehab centers in california existing health problems worse and have dangerous interactions with some medications. Anyone at any age can develop an unhealthy reliance on alcohol. Alcohol use is considered to be one of the main causes of premature aging.
- You might notice more breakouts, a dull complexion, or even hair loss if you’re under a lot of pressure.
- Symptoms can include rashes, dryness, bumps, peeling, and more.
- Drinking alcohol can also make you look older by causing broken capillaries, which are the tiny blood vessels near your skin’s surface.
And then there are the frequent hangovers from binge drinking. Overall, the less you drink, the more energetic and youthful you will feel. Feeling better inside almost always means looking better on the outside. And although cutting back on alcohol can give your skin a chance to regenerate, some damage cannot be reversed. All in all, the sooner you quit or moderate your drinking, the better. When collagen breaks down, the skin starts to sag and wrinkle.
Alcohol causes your body to release more stress hormones, which speeds up the aging process. It also affects the healthy functioning of your digestive system, making it harder for you to absorb essential nutrients. This includes vitamins A, B, D, and E; minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc; and even basics like proteins and carbohydrates.
They can also recommend alcohol abuse programs specifically for older adults. While we might not notice the effect of drinking on our cells, alcohol can speed up our aging process in many other ways. One of the most visible impacts alcohol can have is on our complexion, as drinking excessively is known to cause redness and dry, wrinkly skin.