AILSA CHANG, HOST:
It's the holidays, and for many people that means more parties and more occasions for alcoholic drinks. NPR's Maria Godoy reports on how alcohol can hit harder as we get older.
MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: Once upon a time, a drink or two went down the hatch with no problems. Now it's a recipe for misery. Sound familiar? Dr. Monica Christmas of the University of Chicago Medicine says it's a common lament as people enter middle age.
MONICA CHRISTMAS: You are not alone. I am in that age range, too, and absolutely it needs to be spread out or it's all going to go straight to my head and I will need to sleep half the day away the next day.
GODOY: There are physiological explanations for why our ability to tolerate alcohol wanes with age. For one thing, the liver enzymes that break down alcohol become less efficient.
CHRISTMAS: And so that means that our bodies metabolize alcohol a little bit differently. And we also lose more muscle as we get older, and that muscle is replaced by fatty tissue.
GODOY: That's important because muscle stores water, which dilutes alcohol in our blood. Having less muscle mass means alcohol will hang around in our bodies longer, says Johannes Thrul. He's an alcohol and substance abuse researcher at Johns Hopkins.
JOHANNES THRUL: And so what this means is that the same drink that previously maybe felt just fine now leads to a higher blood alcohol level. You feel the effects for longer.
GODOY: These changes happen to both men and women as they enter middle age. But for women in perimenopause, Christmas says alcohol can exacerbate the symptoms that come with hormonal fluctuations, like mood swings and irritability.
CHRISTMAS: Alcohol is - already is known to be a depressant. It can also increase baseline anxiety symptoms. Alcohol can disrupt sleep too. If you're already experiencing all of those symptoms, it's just that much more compounded.
GODOY: While worse hangovers might not sound like a good thing, think of it as your body nudging you in the right direction. Geriatrician Ken Koncilja with the Cleveland Clinic says the risks of drinking alcohol increase with age.
KEN KONCILJA: Things like liver disease, increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure very much can be exacerbated. Memory problems - alcohol use can cause dementia.
GODOY: It can also interfere with many medications and lead to balance problems and more falls. And drinking alcohol raises the risk of several types of cancer. Koncilja says he makes it a point to discuss the benefits of cutting back with his patients.
KONCILJA: And these conversations about alcohol use, being proactive with people in their 50s and 60s has huge impact for their health and well-being when they're in their 80s and 90s.
GODOY: Johannes Thrul of Johns Hopkins says while the healthiest option is to not drink at all, even small changes to cut back can reap health benefits. During holiday parties, he says, try alternating alcoholic drinks with mocktails, and drink plenty of water.
THRUL: Why don't you just give it a try and see how it feels? 'Cause you might be surprised how good it actually is when you sleep better, you have less anxiety the next day.
GODOY: He says your body will thank you.
Maria Godoy, NPR News.
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