Doctors believe that current drinking guidelines for the elderly are too conservative For those of mature years who have raised a few glasses over the festive period, here is a welcome tonic. It seems that regular moderate drinking is actually good for the elderly. 

Alcohol can boost the functioning of the brain, banish depression and provide a sense of well-being to the over-65s, say doctors. They concluded that two drinks a day did no harm to the elderly and in some cases it was more beneficial than abstinence. Now scientists say pensioners should not be bullied into abstaining from alcohol by the belief that drinking is more harmful to them than to the young or middle-aged. 

According to the report from the Peninsula Medical School, men and women who drink moderately see a "beneficial effect on cognitive and general health". 
Author of the report, Dr Iain Lang, said: "We are not advocating that elderly people should go out and get ridiculously drunk. What we are saying is that current guidelines on drinking for the elderly are too conservative. A couple of drinks a day will do no harm and will have a more beneficial effect on cognitive and general health than abstinence." 

Researchers from the school, which is part of the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, assessed the drinking levels of more than 13,000 people in England and the US aged 65 and over, looking at the effects on physical disability, mortality, cognitive function, depresthosesion and wellbeing. 

The research on British pensioners showed that 28.6 per cent of the men and 10.3 per cent of the women had more than one drink a day. In the US, 10.8 per cent of men and 2.9 per cent of women consumed the same level. 
The studies found a lower risk of death or disability among British drinkers compared to Americans. The worst health results were among those who did not drink at all and heavy drinkers. But those consuming on average more than one or two glasses a day achieved the same health results as having just one drink. 

Scientists have long said that a couple of glasses a day of red wine is good for the heart. But there has been some debate about the beneficial effects of alcohol. The report, published in the American Geriatrics Society and in Age and Ageing, concluded that there was no evidence to support the assumption that drinking at moderate levels is harmful and it said alcohol guidelines were too strict. 

Dr Lang added: "Alcohol Concern recommends that older people 'cut down' their alcohol consumption and that moderate consumption 'might be too much for some older people'. These recommendations are based on assumptions about what happens to the body as it ages, and that it becomes less tolerant of alcohol. Our findings show that this isn't supported. There is no evidence to suggest drinking at moderate levels is harmful to older people. It can provide health benefits. There is no reason why older people should not enjoy a tipple, as long as they are sensible about it. Previous research has shown that middle-aged people can benefit from moderate drinking. These findings show the same applies to the over-65s." 

The number of British men over 65 consuming more than the guideline limit of 21 units a week rose by almost a third between 1988-2000, according to Alcohol Concern, while the number of women the same age drinking more than 14 units shot up by 75 per cent. 

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