During the days of Prohibition, liquor lovers went to great lengths -- such as making spirits in their bathtubs -- to be able to imbibe. During the Great Depression, the penniless would often still find a way to drink. Nowadays, the alcohol craze has certainly not stopped.
According to the 2008 Anheuser Busch Responsible Drinking Survey, 76 percent of U.S. adults of legal drinking age drink alcohol; 54 percent of American adults surveyed reported drinking beer.
And now there may be even more excuses to throw back a glass, as recent studies examining the effects of alcohol have found that drinking may have some positive effects. Research at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy has found that alcohol may decrease certain effects of aging in older adults. Senior scientist Katherine Tucker is currently studying the influence of alcohol on bone density, which typically decreases during aging.
"We were expecting to see a protective effect [on bone density]," Tucker said. "Bone mineral density is something that is necessary to maintain at a high level."
Tucker spent months on the study in an effort to determine the effects of a variety of alcoholic beverages, from wine to hard liquor. The findings suggested that moderate consumption of wine and beer may aid in maintaining bone density, while hard liquor had a minimal effect.
"Wine and beer are not as finely distilled [as hard liquor], so beer contains vitamins and silicon, which are protective of bones," she said.
The research found that men who consume one to two beers or other alcoholic beverages every day had a 3 to 4 percent higher bone mineral density than men who did not drink. The study also found that postmenopausal women who consumed more than two drinks per day had a 5 to 8 percent higher bone mineral density than women who were non-drinkers.
Recent research suggests that drinking in moderation may have additional health benefits. For instance, University of California, Los Angeles professor Arun S. Karlamangla and his colleagues found that by regularly enjoying casual amounts of alcohol, senior citizens are less likely to fall victim to ailments. The study found that moderate drinkers had only a 12.5 percent chance of developing a serious debilitating medical condition, while the rate of heavy drinkers was 15.6 percent and the rate of non-drinkers was 20 percent. Previous research suggests that this positive effect may be the result of underlying physiological changes caused by alcohol. Malignant changes in the arteries and veins, which facilitate the movement and distribution of blood throughout the body, occur as people age. While these blood vessels are unobstructed in young and healthy individuals, older, less-healthy individuals often have deposits along the side of these vessels that result in high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack and heart disease.
According to research performed at the Harvard University School of Public Health by Dr. Mihaela Tanasescu and colleagues, alcohol may help reduce the rate that these vessel-lining deposits are produced, resulting in less potential for high blood pressure and its complications.
But like all good things, drinking should still be done in moderation. While one or two drinks may have their benefits for older consumers, heavy drinking has been linked to many negative ailments, such as osteoporosis. And for postmenopausal women, heavy drinking has been found to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
Consumption of excessive volumes of alcohol over a long period of time can also be more debilitating. Columbia University Professor Howard J. Worman claims that lifelong drinkers are at a higher risk than non-drinkers for a multitude of diseases and impairments, such as reduced liver function.
And despite the benefits of alcohol, it is not the only option for older adults seeking to reduce certain effects of aging. Tucker stressed that there are other ways to maintain mineral bone density besides consuming alcoholic beverages. In her research, Tucker asserts that vitamins, in particular vitamin C and carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, can be equally as beneficial as alcohol in maintaining bone density.
"I think the more we look at it, the more it's not about calcium alone [to maintain bone density]," Tucker said. "The next step is ... looking more at the protein and calcium interactions."
