Alcohol consumption gets mixed reviews. Some say that it is good for health; others that you should not drink. Here are a few facts that will perhaps clear some confusion.

Recent studies show that there may be a health benefit for those who drink in moderation — a somewhat lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Should you start drinking now for health reasons? Absolutely not! The risks outweigh the benefits. The facts are that drinking alcohol for those over 65 has different effects than it did at 45.

As we age, we lose lean body mass (muscle and bone) and acquire a greater amount of fat. The result is a decrease in body water causing alcohol to reach a higher concentration in the blood of an older person. This increases the blood alcohol level and places an extra burden on the liver. With advancing age our blood flow through the liver declines, as it does through the kidney thus alcohol is eliminated more slowly from the blood. It has been shown that older women are especially at risk because they are usually smaller and have less lean body mass, resulting in higher blood alcohol levels than men have. Typically older people have a blood alcohol level 30-40 percent higher than in younger people who consume the same amount of alcohol. Older people are more likely than those of middle aged to experience intoxication, trouble with balance, coordination and cognitive difficulties. Simply put, tolerance for alcohol declines and the risks of excessive drinking rises with age.

In addition, combining alcohol with medications creates a disaster waiting to happen. Among the common drugs that can interact badly with alcohol are acetaminophen, antidepressants, aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, digoxin, heparin, hypoglycemics and sleep aids. Medical conditions common among older people that may be worsened by alcohol include depression and anxiety, gastrointestinal bleeding, cirrhosis and other liver diseases, hypertension and cardiac arrhythmia’s, osteoporosis, cognitive impairment, and impaired immunity.

I have read statistics that say that between 10 percent and 18 percent of those over 65 have a problem with alcohol — about 14 million Americans or one in 13 adults. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol use is implicated in 50 percent of all homicides and fatal car accidents, 41 percent of all crimes and 33 percent of all suicides.

So what is moderate drinking for healthy people over 65? The new definition of “moderate” offered by the N IAAA is no more than one drink a day. Some experts suggest that older women would be wise to cut that amount in half.

What is one drink? It is 12 grams of pure alcohol, the amount found in a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine or a shot of 80-proof distilled liquor.