Physical Wellness

Hangovers Worsen As You Age: Study [VIDEO]

By Abbie Kraft | Update Date: Mar 20, 2017 07:39 AM EDT

Researchers reveal that hangovers tend to worsen as drinkers age. It was explained that a person's physical health eventually slows down, including the body's capacity to breakdown enzymes.

Researchers finally came up with a rationale as to why hangovers become worse as people age. Though there are countless ways to alleviate hangovers, health care providers highlighted that the body can no longer do its regular function as one ages.

One of the factors being pointed out is the body's capacity to break down and eliminate toxins. The body can no longer have a full performance in breaking down ethanol, the Telegraph cited.

Ethanol is the toxic by-product of alcohol. The liver's main function is to convert ethanol to acetaldehyde. The enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase would then transform acetaldehyde into another substance, acetate, which turns the properties into water and carbon dioxide.

It takes the liver more than an hour to process the alcohol being consumed. As the person grows older, the body's enzyme levels eventually decrease, according to the report of the Business Insider. The reduction of the enzymes allows the toxins to stay onto the person's system longer. The delay is said to cause the hangover, which can sometimes get worse as the person ages.

Another factor being looked upon is the fact that the body's process to recover becomes slower as the person gets older. The body takes more time to recover from a trauma or from other ailments as the years pass.

"As one gets older metabolism changes; also neuroplasticity - the ability of neuronal function to bounce back - is thought to slow," George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told the Huffington Post during an interview.

Alcohol consumption may be something that most adults could not totally eliminate, but moderation is the key. Health care experts advise older people to tone down their alcohol consumption as the body ca no longer process the toxins.

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