Eff ects of moderate alcohol consumption on the health of elderly Russians: a study in reference to the amount recommended to the population of Japan

I n t r o d u c t i o n . The proportion of pure alcohol (PA) per capita in the Russian Federation (RF) is high, and moderate alcohol consumption is important for elderly  Russians. In 2008, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan (the Japanese are considered one of the healthiest nations in the world) recommended a daily moderate consumption of less than 20 g/day of PA. In the Russian Federation, recommendations on daily moderate alcohol consumption  for elderly persons have not yet been introduced.
A i m . To clarify the factors associated with the daily moderate PA consumption and its physical and social eff ects on the elderly people, using in reference the recommendations for the Japanese population, in order to consider the possibility of their adaptation among the Russian population.
M a t e r i a l s  a n d  m e t h o d s . A cross-sectional study was conducted among 770 elderly Russians aged 60 years and older. Methods of descriptive statistics were used to process the obtained data. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confi dence interval (CI) were calculated. A logistic regression analysis was performed, with a sample stratifi ed by gender.
R e s u l t s . The logistic regression analysis among drinking participants found correlations between consumption of more than 20 g of PA per day with gender (OR = 0.582; 95% CI: 0.351–0.966), hypertension (OR = 0.384; 95% CI: 0.223– 0.661), living alone (OR = 0.453; 95% CI: 0.256–0.803), the reason for alcohol intake – stress relief (OR = 4.580; 95% CI: 2.313–9.069), enjoyment of life (OR = 3.015; 95% CI : 1.207–7.531), drinking alone (OR = 2.480; 95% CI: 1.079–5.703) and with the family (OR = 2.586; 95% CI: 1.506–4.439). As a result of the stratifi ed analysis, it was found that among male participants, alcohol consumption signifi cantly correlated with hypertension (OR = 0.216; 95% CI: 0.090–0.521), the desire to reduce stress (OR = 2.530; 95% CI: 1.043–6.136), drinking alone (OR = 5.454; 95% CI: 1.699–17.510) and with the family (OR = 4.934; 95% CI: 2.003–12.154). Among women, alcohol consumption signifi cantly associated with living alone (OR = 0.455; 95% CI: 0.228–0.907), the desire to reduce stress (OR = 5.274; 95% CI: 2.092–13.299), and enjoy life (OR = 4.669; 95% CI: 1.218–17.899) and drinking alcohol in the family (OR = 2.077; 95% CI: 1.069–4.033).
C o n c l u s i o n . The introduction of daily moderate alcohol consumption is crucial for improving the health and life expectancy of elderly Russians. However, the attempt to adapt the Japanese health policy for the Russian Federation showed no signifi cant diff erence in the health characteristics of elderly people, indicating the need to introduce other possible cutoff s for daily moderate alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption occurred among Russian older people drinking alone and to relieve stress, which indicates a risk of social isolation and misunderstanding of doses for alcohol’s sedative eff ects. Family drinking may result in higher daily alcohol consumption among elderly people, whereas gender diff erences in alcohol consumption with a cutoff  of 20 g per day need to be considered, especially among women. The eff ect of moderate alcohol consumption on hypertension requires further study.

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