HEAVY drinking into older age adds up to 4cm (1.6in) to the waistline, new research suggests. The study found that more than half of drinkers aged 59 and over have been heavy drinkers, and that this is linked to a larger waistline and increased stroke risk.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) examined the association between heavy drinking over a lifetime and a range of health indicators including cardiovascular disease.
Published in the Addiction journal, the study found that heavy alcohol consumption over a lifetime is associated with issues like higher blood pressure, even if drinking is stopped before 50.
It is also linked to poorer liver function, increased stroke risk, larger waist circumferences and body mass index in later life.
However, scientists say stopping heavy drinking at any point in life is likely to be beneficial for overall health.
First author of the study Dr Linda Ng Fat said: "Alcohol misuse, despite the common perception of young people binge-drinking, is common among older adults, with alcohol-related hospital admissions in England being the highest among adults aged over 50."
According to the study, former, current and consistent 'hazardous drinkers' – people who, for example, have three or four drinks, four or more times a week – had higher systolic blood pressure and poorer liver function than those who were never hazardous drinkers.
Current hazardous drinkers had three times greater risk of stroke, the researchers found, while lifetime hazardous drinkers had larger waist circumferences and BMI than people who were never hazardous drinkers.
Dr Ng Fat said the results suggested that "the longer adults engage in heavy drinking, the larger their waistline in older age".
