This Is The Reason Drinking Alcohol Makes You Feel Worse As You Get Older

Once you hit your 50s, Landsverk says, even moderate drinking can wreak havoc on the body. “Alcohol, besides the vascular damage and dementia risks, increases the risk of breast cancer, esophageal cancer and liver cancer (after disease),” she said. Because cancer risk drastically increases as we age, adding any amount of alcohol into the mix will only further increase that risk. “Plus, as we age, good sleep is more elusive,” Landsverk added. “Substances like caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol all hinder sleep”

In your 60s, you’ll likely begin to feel the effects of moderate drinking on your body. “I can speak from experience: This is the age when tolerance may decrease dramatically,” Landsverk said. “I am healthy. I can ski or swim a mile, but a glass of wine makes me feel ill and slow the next day.”

This, she says, is because older people are more likely to lose the enzyme to metabolize alcohol (alcohol dehydrogenase). “At this point, I can tolerate about one glass a week,” Landsverk noted. “If I had it daily, I would feel sick with just one glass a day. Older people have less reserve in the brain, liver and kidneys. The damage to the brain from even one glass a day is worse [when you’re over 60].”

Landsverk suggests that you think of alcoholic beverages like candy bars. “They’re nice with some meals, but they can increase your weight and blood sugar, and over decades adds to cancer risk and chronic illnesses that can lead to poor health.”

If you want to stay as healthy as possible and feel your best as you age, do you have to give up alcohol completely? No, Landsverk emphasizes, and it’s important to remember to remember that other factors influence the impact alcohol has on your health and well-being, such as if you’re living with a disease like obesity or hypertension. 

If you’re older and in generally good health, you shouldn’t worry too much about the occasional alcoholic beverage. That’s certainly the case for Landsverk. “I  have decided that a glass of wine with a nice meal is worth it,” she said. “But not every night.”

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.