Excessive Drinking Adds Fat To The Waistline, Says Study

For many people drinking starts during their teenage years and continues as they get older. Excessive drinking in most cases raises a lot of health issues. It can be triggered more if you are in your later years. Be it socially or culturally, heavy drinking can be dangerous for older people. A recent study revealed that excessive drinking through old age adds 4cm to the waistline, and larger waistline can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Know more about the study and its findings.

About The Study

This study was published in the journal Addiction, which researched the association between heavy drinking over a lifetime and a range of health problems such as cardiovascular disease. "This study raises awareness of the effect of alcohol consumption over the life-course", said Dr Linda NG Fat, the lead author of the study.

(Also read: Are You Over 50? Add These Foods To Your Diet To Stay Healthy)

Excessive drinking leads to many health issues if you are above 50

Findings Of The Study

In the study, more than half of drinkers were aged 59 and it included those who currently drink heavily and those who have been drinking heavily throughout their lives. This was linked to a significantly larger waistline and to an increased risk of cardiovascular issues like stroke. Also, the study suggested, if a person with high blood pressure and poor liver function excessively drinks alcohol over a lifetime, it increases the risk of stroke. Other than that, larger waistline, high body mass index can be seen even if you stop drinking heavily before the age of 50.

More than 56% of drinkers had hazardous drinking history at some point in their life. 21% of the people were current hazardous drinkers and 5 % were consistent hazardous drinkers. However, experts say that quitting drinking at any age is overall more beneficial than continuing to drink over a certain age.

(Also read: Want To Live Long? Take 8000 Steps A Day, Research Says)