| Popis: |
This chapter focuses on the social and cultural meanings of alcohol drinking as well as the health implications of its consumption by older people. Alcoholic beverages are part of daily life across the world, from ancient civilizations to present times, with important economic, social, cultural and religious roles. Alcohol metabolism and its effects depend of several factors, such as age, gender and health status. This might be a particular issue to consider when looking at alcohol drinking of older people. Measurement of consumption and daily acceptable intakes is difficult to achieve since they depend on many factors and on the methodology used in research. Many associations have been found on what concerns alcohol drinking and health, but research as been focused mostly on the negative effects of alcohol, although scientific evidence of some associated benefits also exists. Excessive intake of alcoholic drinks exerts toxic effects in several organs due to both ethanol and the compound that results from its metabolization (acetaldehyde). More recently, other possible risks and benefits of drinking alcohol were found by research but those are not specific to the older consumer. |
