Unsafe levels of drinking ‘common in older UK people’

A new study from King's College London has revealed that unsafe consumption of alcohol is a common issue among older British people.

The research, published in BMJ Open, indicated that one in five older people who drink alcohol are consuming it at unsafe levels – over 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 units for women each week.

Anonymised electronic GP health records for 27,991 people aged 65 and over in the Borough of Lambeth in London were analysed, with 9,248 drinkers identified. Of these, 1,980 people drank at unsafe levels.

Unsafe drinkers were more likely to be male, younger and have higher socioeconomic status. Median alcohol consumption was six units per week, but the top five percent of drinkers reported consuming more than 49 units per week for men and more than 23 units per week for women.

Dr Mark Ashworth, study author from the division of health and social care research at King's College London, said: "Reducing alcohol misuse is important to prevent premature death and serious negative health effects, such as alcoholic liver disease, which are big burden on our health system."