Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton

Rocks Stars of Aging
34
HEALTH, FITNESS AND NUTRITION
20: Centenarians Avoid Heavy Alcohol Use
“Health -- what my friends are always drinking to before they fall
down.” -- Phyllis Diller, actress and comedian
There are those who swear by a daily glass of red wine, but, for the
most part, centenarians avoid alcohol altogether. And there is no
such thing as a centenarian who is a heavy drinker. Multiple research
projects confirm that if you drink heavily, your survival rate is greatly
reduced and your chances of getting cancer are increased.
One well-publicized study suggests that drinking is actually beneficial
to longevity. In fact, the headline reported by many media outlets was
Drinkers Outlive Non-Drinkers -- Longevity Never Tasted So Good.
This is the problem with research studies and the way they are
reported by the media and then consumed by the public. Most never
read beyond the attention-getting headline.
Upon closer review, the study only focused on individuals 55 to 65
years in age who had some form of patient care in the three years
leading up to the study. The research was done mostly on men and
followed only 20 years of their lives, which put the individuals in the
75 to 85 range at closing. It ignored the impact of alcohol on death
rates in younger and older populations and failed to adjust for
countless factors. For instance, did drinking temporarily help these
patients who lacked healthy coping mechanisms deal with the
psychological stress of old age, while creating and masking
physiological problems that ultimately contributed to their demise
years later? We’ll never know. What we do know from our interviews
is that very few centenarians are drinkers.
Rock Stars of Aging
34