Reaction Time in Elderly Slowed Down by Minimal Alcohol

Drinking just two small glasses of alcohol in the night drastically slows down the reaction time in elderly, putting them at a greater risk of falls, a new study published in BMC Research Notes said. Researchers from the Saint Maartens Hospital in Holland conducted the study on 13 healthy people over 60 years of age and gave them two glasses of vodka and orange juice every night and found that all of them struggled to pass an obstacle avoidance test while walking.

Lead researcher Judith Hegeman admitted that the small sample size might have influenced the result of the study but said that all of those who participated in the study had trouble walking safely when they had consumed just two glasses of alcohol.

“The results clearly show even with low blood alcohol concentrations, reactions to sudden gait perturbations are seriously affected. A possible limitation of this study is the relatively small sample size. However even with the small number it yielded an unequivocal outcome”, she said.




Source-Medindia