Does Drinking Alcohol Actually Make You Age Faster?

Telomeres are markers of biological aging, and shorter telomeres are linked to a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Moore says there is robust data that shows telomeres are shorter among those who drink high amounts of alcohol (more than 17 drinks per week), binge drink (5 or more drinks per occasion), and among those with alcohol use disorder. A breakdown in collagen and elasticity can make the skin saggier over time, and make fine lines and wrinkles more noticeable. Many people suspect alcohol can accelerate aging, both biologically and physically. And although cutting back on alcohol can give your skin a chance to regenerate, some damage cannot be reversed.

Broken bones from a stumble are a serious health issue for seniors. Mixing it with certain sleeping pills, pain medications, or anxiety drugs can be life-threatening. It can also lead to serious side effects.

While the occasional drink with friends might not hurt, evidence suggests there is a strong relationship between alcohol and aging. Excessive drinking has numerous impacts on your body and mind, ranging from mild to severe. It’s never too late to cut back on our alcohol consumption. Reducing our alcohol consumption or eliminating it entirely is one of the simplest (and cheapest!) things we can do to protect our youth. This is significant because it further validates the changes we see occur on the surface in people who regularly consume alcohol.

Alcohol Makes You Feel Older Than You Are

Therefore, drinking alcohol can compound the natural effects of aging. The damaging effects of alcohol on skin and aging wreak havoc on your health and could make you look and feel older than you are. Research examining the impact of alcohol consumption over a long period of time, as well as binge drinking, on biological aging has been limited. While any amount of alcohol has been found to be harmful for certain markers of aging, long-term, heavy alcohol use and binge drinking are more likely to age you faster than low-to-moderate doses. Some studies suggest any amount of alcohol has risks for accelerating aging, while other studies say moderate drinking may have some health benefits–but these findings need further study.

Women who had 28 drinks or more per week had a 33 percent higher chance of developing the same syndrome. Drinking too much can cause wrinkly skin, redness, and a dry complexion–and that’s only meth withdrawal symptoms, timeline and detox treatment the beginning. Learn more about our team’s approach. When combined with counseling, this approach is proven highly effective. Here is our guide to giving up (or cutting back) on alcohol.

Many people struggle with alcohol dependency, and it can be hard to know how to begin to cut back. Overall, the less you drink, the more energetic and youthful you will feel. And then there are the frequent hangovers from binge drinking.

Quitting alcohol completely can be a challenge, but there are more ways to do it than ever before. It may or may not line up with what we traditionally call ”alcoholism.”

It Can Affect Your Heart

Interestingly, researchers also noted that shorter telomeres correlated with thiamine (vitamin B-1) deficiency. Some studies have also found associations between shorter telomeres and pulmonary disease and liver disease. This essentially puts us at greater risk for developing diseases such as cancer. Whenever a cell divides, telomeres lose a part of their DNA. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The more you cut down on the booze, the more your body will thank you for it.

It Can Slow Your Brain

Identify your triggers — what’s giving you the urge to drink — and find ways to avoid them. Socializing without a beer in your own hand will help to break the mental link between having fun and consuming alcohol. She said the worst thing you can do during this process is isolate yourself. A 2017 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found the number of adults in the United States who regularly consumed alcohol went from 65 percent in 2002 to 73 percent in 2013. “Now I sleep well every night and work out vigorously, while before a couple of glasses of wine would make me want to eat pizza.

Protect Your Health and Longevity With Reframe

And alcohol can affect the way your meds work. People who drink may notice that they’re “feeling no pain” sooner as they get older. Red wine has antioxidants called polyphenols that may help your cholesterol level and protect your blood vessels. Alcohol can affect the way your body fights off life-threatening illnesses like tuberculosis or pneumonia.

• Not only did they lose weight — 50 pounds for her and 80 pounds for him — but she said it was the “best thing that has ever happened” to them.
• Another reason to limit your alcohol intake is that it’s one of the main culprits for those extra pounds you’ve mysteriously put on.
• In the U.S. alone, the anti-aging market grew from $3.9 billion in 2016 to $4.9 billion in 2021.
• Instead, Manning encouraged people to go out with their friends, even if they’re all going to a bar.
• “Now I sleep well every night and work out vigorously, while before a couple of glasses of wine would make me want to eat pizza.
• One of the most visible impacts alcohol can have is on your complexion.

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If you’re blessed with genetics that resists wrinkles and other visible signs of aging, you might not notice the way that alcohol affects your appearance. If you’re aging faster than you would otherwise, you’re also increasing your risk of age-related health problems. Does the effects of alcohol on the skin and aging cause wrinkles? For example, drinking alcohol when you take aspirin can raise your chances of stomach problems or internal bleeding.

• Our body needs thiamine to metabolize carbohydrates, amino acids, and fatty acids.
• Here is our guide to giving up (or cutting back) on alcohol.
• If you are concerned about your drinking habits or a loved one’s, it is important to seek help.
• Moore says there is robust data that shows telomeres are shorter among those who drink high amounts of alcohol (more than 17 drinks per week), binge drink (5 or more drinks per occasion), and among those with alcohol use disorder.
• Chronic dehydration can impair the skin barrier, leading to dryness, flakiness, and increased sensitivity.

Drinking Is Probably Aging You Much More Than You Realize

Alcohol reduces the amount of vasopressin that your body makes. Normally, the body creates a hormone called vasopressin, which helps your body retain water, limiting the amount of fluid that you excrete through the renal system. The substance is a diuretic, which means that it pulls fluid out of your body and eliminates it via urine. That can be particularly hard on seniors, who are already more likely to wake up often or have a sleep disorder like insomnia.

Sleep deprivation raises your level of ghrelin (the hormone that makes you feel hungry) and lowers your level of leptin (the hormone that regulates fullness). Lack of sleep can also impact your hunger-regulating hormones. “Alcohol may impair sleep quality, especially rapid eye movement (REM) sleep,” Alison A. Moore, MD, MPH, FACP, AGSF, director at the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging and the Center for Healthy Aging, told Health.

It also affects the healthy functioning of your digestive system, making it harder for you to absorb essential nutrients. There are many ways alcohol can put an extra strain on your body. Ria Health offers several FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder.

What Alcohol Can Do to Your Biological Age

Researchers have found that oxidative stress damages DNA in a way that can lead to premature aging. Depriving yourself of adequate sleep can make you age faster. If you’re missing out on it, you could exacerbate health issues or just feel extra drowsy and mentally foggy throughout the day. Consuming alcohol can make you look and feel old immediately. Wrinkles aren’t the only skin condition that can age you. Research shows that people who drink heavily have a 33 percent greater chance of getting arcus senilis, a telltale gray ring around their corneas before they turn 60.

Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis can lead to accelerated aging, as sleep disturbances have been linked to shortened telomere length. Alcohol also increases oxidative stress and the production of harmful free radicals, which can break down collagen (the skin’s main structural protein) and lead to loss of elasticity. Additionally, alcohol causes skin inflammation, which can lead to inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis. You no longer need to disrupt your life in order to start drinking less.

It’s a natural process called intrinsic aging, and it’s something you can’t control. The Reframe app equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to not only survive drinking less, but to thrive while you navigate the journey. One of the best things we can do to protect our health and longevity is to drink less alcohol.

Alcohol is a diuretic, which increases water loss through urine, leaving your skin dehydrated and dull. Laura is also a seasoned communications professional who has previously worked in the biopharmaceutical, consumer healthcare, and lifestyle spaces. Laura Schober is a writer and editor specializing in health, food, wellness, beauty, and lifestyle content.