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Life

19th Feb 2018

A few sneaky pints could help you live past 90, new study finds

Michael Lanigan

The health benefits of alcohol and caffeine however, still don’t justify the existence of Jager Bombs in case you’re wondering.

People who drink a moderate amount of alcohol or coffee live longer than people who abstained, a new study has found.

The 90+ Study was set up to study the “oldest-old” or people over the age of 90 in the United States. Initiated back in 2003, a total of 1,600 people partook in the study, which was designed to find out how this growing section of the US population were able to hit the milestone, while noting the quality of life after 90.

Included among these findings are:

  • People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained.
  • People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did.
  • Over 40% of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled. Both are more common in women than men.
  • About half of people with dementia over 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss.

Participants were visited every six months by researchers who would perform neurological and neuropsychological tests. Dietary information, physical activities, medical history and medication were also factored into each study.

Commenting on the results, Professor Kawas said: “The best mortality experience is to gain between five and ten pounds per decade. Underweight people had a 50% increase in mortality. It’s not bad to be skinny when you’re young but it’s very bad to be skinny when you’re old.”

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge

Topics:

Health,Pints