Retired people have a higher risk of depression than those who continued working, but a glass of the odd wine can lift your mood, research suggests.
Previous research has shown that people tend to drink more alcohol during retirement, and that baby boomers, who are now around 60 to 80 years old, also drink more than previous generations. Ta.
The new study, published at the same time as another study revealing a new link between depression and DNA, looked at whether there was a link between employment status, alcohol intake and symptoms of depression.
The study followed 27,500 Americans, all over the age of 50, for an average of 14 years each. Every two years, they were asked to fill out a questionnaire to describe the aspects. Talk about their lifestyle and provide a snapshot of their mood from the previous week. Retired people showed more signs of depression, such as feeling sad regularly or feeling like “everything is an effort,” than those who were still working or who were just semi-retired. Ta.
Participants were also asked whether they consumed alcohol and, if so, how many drinks they had on the day they drank. Heavy drinking (defined as drinking four to five drinks in a few hours) was associated with worse symptoms of depression. However, moderate drinkers (counted as no more than two drinks a day for men and no more than one drink a day for women) were less likely to show signs of depressed mood than those who completely abstained.
This type of observational study cannot prove causation because researchers cannot be sure why moderate drinking is associated with fewer depressive symptoms. But they think this association could be explained by people becoming more social.
This doesn’t mean the researchers actively recommended drinking a drink or two regularly to adapt to retirement. They noted that the World Health Organization has previously warned that no amount of alcohol is beneficial.
• Start planning now for the four seasons after retirement.
“Drinking alcohol increases the risk of falls and other injuries, and can lead to addiction and the associated deterioration of general health,” said Dr. Antonia Díaz Valdés, from the University of Mayor in Santiago, Chile, who led the study. ” he said. “There is no doubt that some people have difficulty adjusting to retirement, but turning to alcohol is not the answer. We must find and provide healthier alternatives.”
Differences in depression scores were small but statistically significant. In the biennial survey, participants were asked to reflect on the past week and whether certain feelings often applied to them, such as whether they were enjoying life or feeling like things were “not going well.” Showed. They were given a total score ranging from 0 to 8, with higher scores indicating increased depressive symptoms.
Retirement was associated with a 0.04 point increase in these symptoms. Compared to abstainers, moderate drinking was associated with a 0.09 point decrease in depressive symptoms, while binge drinking was associated with a 0.07 point increase.
The paper, published in the journal Aging & Mental Health, suggests that policymakers should “prioritize support for individuals in the retirement transition and provide interventions at different levels to effectively manage alcohol consumption. ” recommends that it should be done.
A separate study led by the University of Edinburgh and King’s College London has identified hundreds of new links between the condition and human DNA, suggesting new treatments may be on the horizon. There are growing expectations that there will be.
Scientists analyzed genetic data from nearly 700,000 people with major depression from 29 countries. Their DNA was compared to that of another 4.3 million healthy participants who served as controls.
The study found nearly 700 mutations in the genetic code that may contribute to the disease, almost half of which were new.
The findings suggest that two drugs called pregabalin and modafinil, currently used primarily to treat chronic pain and the sleep state narcolepsy, respectively, could be repurposed.
The results of this study were published in the journal Cell.
