When you're in your 40s, it's pretty common to need reading glasses. You might need smaller wine glasses, too.
到了40岁，需要佩戴老花镜是很常见的。与此同时，你可能也需要换更小的酒杯了。
That's because alcohol hits people harder in their 40s and 50s than it did during their 20s and 30s. The reasons for this include changes in body composition to brain sensitivity and liver functioning. Lifestyle factors are at play, too. And since people tend to take more medications -- both prescription and over-the-counter -- as they age, there are more chances for uncomfortable and even dangerous booze-drug mixing.
这是因为人到了四五十岁时，酒精的影响比二三十岁的时候更厉害。原因包括身体组成、大脑敏感度和肝功能等各方面的变化。生活方式也有影响。另外，由于人们年纪增大时会服用更多药物――包括处方药和非处方药――酒精和药物混合的机率就会更大，从而造成身体不舒服甚至出现危险。
'All of the effects of alcohol are sort of amplified with age,' says David W. Oslin, a professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. 'Withdrawal is a little bit more complicated. Hangovers are a little bit more complicated.'
宾夕法尼亚大学佩雷尔曼医学院(Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania)精神病学教授大卫・奥斯林(David W. Oslin)说：“酒精的作用会随着年龄的增长而放大。戒酒变得更复杂了，宿醉也变得更复杂了。”
Part of the issue is that people in their 40s and older simply tend not to drink as much or as often as those in their 20s and 30s, which lowers tolerance. 'You're becoming more work-oriented, more family-oriented,' says Robert Pandina, director of the Center of Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University.
一个原因在于40岁以上的人往往不会像二三十岁时那样喝得那么多和那么频繁了，这样会降低酒量。罗格斯大学(Rutgers University)酒精研究中心(Center of Alcohol Studies)主任罗伯特・潘迪纳(Robert Pandina)说：“人会变得更以工作和家庭为重。”
So when you do drink 'you might have a more sensitive response to alcohol because you've lowered your exposure to alcohol over all.'
所以当你喝酒的时候，“你可能会对酒精的反应更敏感，因为你已经整个降低了酒精消耗量”。
Some people swear that only certain types of alcohol -- red wine, tequila -- are a problem. Generally, doctors say there's little science indicating that some drinks make people drunker or lead to more miserable hangovers. It is true, however, that people at any age can develop sensitivities to sulfites and tannins in wine, which can cause headaches and an upset stomach, Dr. Pandina says. And the carbonation in sparkling wines or even in mixed drinks like whiskey and Coke 'seems to increase how rapidly alcohol is absorbed,' says Reid Blackwelder, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a practicing family doctor in Kingsport, Tenn.
有人断定只有某些种类的酒会有问题，比如葡萄酒和龙舌兰酒。医生普遍表示，鲜有科学依据表明某些种类的酒会让人更容易醉或者导致更严重的宿醉。不过潘迪纳博士说，人在任何年纪确实都会对葡萄酒里的亚硫酸盐和单宁酸形成敏感性，这两种物质会造成头痛以及胃部不适。美国家庭医生学会(American Academy of Family Physicians)主席、田纳西州金斯波特(Kingsport)执业家庭医生瑞德・布莱克韦尔德(Reid Blackwelder)说，起泡酒甚至威士忌和可乐等混合饮料中的碳酸“似乎会增加酒精吸收的速度”。
About 52% of people age 45 to 64 are 'regular' drinkers, meaning they had at least 12 drinks in the previous year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2011 National Health Interview Survey.
美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention，简称CDC)2011年全国健康采访调查(National Health Interview Survey)的结果显示，45岁至64岁的人群中，约52%是“经常性”饮酒者，也就是他们上一年至少喝过12杯酒。
Body composition starts to change as early as the 30s. As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass, while fat content increases. Alcohol isn't distributed in fat. People also have less total body water as they get older. So if several people have the same amount to drink, those with more fat and less muscle and body water will have more alcohol circulating in their bloodstream. (This is also partly why women of any age tend to feel alcohol's effects more than men.)
身体组成早在人30多岁的时候就开始改变。随着年龄增长，肌肉往往会开始减少，而脂肪含量会增加。酒精不能溶于脂肪。身体所含水分也会随着年龄增长而减少，因此如果几个人喝同量的酒，脂肪多而肌肉和身体水分少的人就会有更多的酒精在血液中循环。（这也是为何各个年龄段的女性通常比男性更容易感受到酒精的影响。）
'A lot of older people are borderline dehydrated. They have less body water just from the natural effects of aging,' Dr. Blackwelder says. It helps to drink water and have a full stomach when knocking one back.
布莱克韦尔德博士说：“很多年纪大的人都处于濒临脱水状态。由于衰老的自然效应，他们体内的水分会减少。”喝酒的时候大量饮水以及保持饱腹状态会有帮助。
The majority of alcohol is metabolized by the liver, which changes when people hit their 50s. (A small amount is metabolized in the stomach and mouth.) The liver gets bigger as people get older, but the organ becomes less efficient. Blood flow decreases, as do the number of hepatocytes, the liver's functional cells, says Gary Murray, acting director of the Division of Metabolism and Health Effects at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health.
酒精大部分由肝脏代谢（小部分在胃和口腔代谢），而人到了50岁的时候就会不一样。年纪越大，肝脏就会越大，但功能却越来越弱。美国国立卫生研究院(National Institutes of Health)国家酒精滥用及酗酒问题研究所(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)代谢和健康影响部门代理主任加里・穆雷(Gary Murray)说，血液流动会减缓，肝细胞的数量也会减少。
Certain enzyme levels dip, too, including one type of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol. Women of all ages tend to have lower levels of this enzyme in the stomach. But between the ages of 50 and 60, men see their levels slide, too. All these changes mean 'you have a prolonged exposure to alcohol and possibly a little bit bigger buzz,' when you drink, Dr. Murray says. There's also some evidence that hormonal changes around menopause can increase women's sensitivity to alcohol. Healthy young people tend to metabolize about one drink per hour, Dr. Murray says.
某些酶的水平也会降低，包括一种降解酒精的脱氢酶。各个年龄段女性胃里的脱氢酶水平都较低，但男性到了50岁和60岁，脱氢酶水平也会降低。穆雷博士说，所有这些变化都意味着，在你喝酒的时候“消耗酒精的时间会延长，可能酒劲儿也会更大一点”。穆雷说，还有证据表明，更年期前后荷尔蒙水平的改变会增加女性对酒精的敏感度。健康的年轻人通常大概一小时代谢掉一杯酒。
Stephanie Draeken used to enjoy a glass or two of wine several nights a week. 'I have four kids. I need my wine,' says the stay-at-home mother in Austin, Texas. But since turning 40 nearly two years ago, Ms. Draeken says if she has even one glass of wine now she'll 'wake up in the middle of the night with a horrible headache and the next day is like a college-style hangover without the college-style fun,' she says.
得克萨斯州奥斯汀(Austin)的全职母亲斯蒂芬妮・德雷肯(Stephanie Draeken)以前喜欢每周有几天晚上喝一两杯葡萄酒。她说：“我有四个孩子，我需要喝酒。”但近两年前快40的时候，她说即使只喝一杯酒，她都会“在半夜醒来，头疼得厉害，而且第二天感觉就像大学时的宿醉一样，只不过没有大学时的那种乐趣”。
She tried switching to higher-priced wine, then stuck with white wine. She tried champagne. 'It didn't matter,' she says. She says she now rarely drinks wine and limits herself to an occasional vodka and soda.
她尝试过换成更高价格的葡萄酒，然后老是喝白葡萄酒。她尝试过香槟。她说：“不起作用。”她说她现在很少喝葡萄酒，只偶尔喝伏特加或苏打饮料。
Alcohol-drug interactions can become more of a problem, too, since older people are more likely to take medications. Alcohol and many medications are metabolized by the same enzymes in the liver, which can enhance the effects of alcohol or the medications. Heartburn drugs like Zantac interfere with the metabolism of alcohol, thus raising blood-alcohol levels.
酒精和药物的互相作用也是一个问题，因为年纪较大的人更有可能服用药物。酒精和许多药物都是由肝脏中同样的酶代谢的，这就会加强酒精或药物的作用。善卫得(Zantac等缓解胃灼热的药物会干扰酒精的代谢，从而增加血液中的酒精浓度。
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) poses another problem because, combined with alcohol, it can damage the liver.
对乙酰氨基酚（商品名“泰诺”(Tylenol)）会造成另外一个问题，因为它和酒精混合后会损伤肝脏。
Mixing alcohol with blood thinners like Coumadin can be particularly dangerous, causing bleeding. 'People on Coumadin shouldn't really drink at all,' says Dr. Oslin. And taking alcohol with some pain medications and benzodiazepines (antianxiety drugs) can make you 'more prone to sedation, more prone to cardiovascular risk and more prone to overdose,' Dr. Oslin says.
酒精和可密定(Coumadin)等抗凝血药物混合尤其危险，会导致出血。奥斯林博士说：“服用可密定的人其实一点酒都不应该喝。”他说，酒精和某些止痛药及苯二氮平类药物（抗焦虑药物）一起服用会让人“更容易进入镇静状态，更易患心血管病，更容易服药过量”。
People with certain medical conditions should also be cautious with alcohol, doctors say. Long-term alcohol use can raise blood pressure. And alcohol tends to irritate the stomach.
医生们表示，身患某些疾病的人也应在喝酒上多加注意。长期饮酒会使血压升高，酒精还会刺激胃部。
Barring health problems and medication interactions, doctors generally become concerned when people drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol. That is defined as up to two drinks per day for men and up to one drink per day for women, according to the latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (A standard drink is about 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor, according to the CDC.)
除健康问题和药物作用以外，医生通常还担心饮酒过量的问题。根据联邦政府最新的美国人膳食指南(Dietary Guidelines for Americans)，适度饮酒的定义是男性每天最多两杯，女性每天最多一杯。（根据CDC标准，标准的一杯酒约为12盎司的啤酒、五盎司的葡萄酒或1.5盎司的烈酒。）
In fact, there's some evidence that a moderate amount of alcohol can have health benefits. Studies have linked moderate alcohol consumption with a reduced risk of cardiovascular problems and death overall. Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risks of liver disease, stroke, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer and dementia, beyond the obvious accidents and injuries.
事实上，有证据显示适量饮酒有益健康。有研究表明适量饮酒可降低心血管疾病和死亡的风险。过量饮酒除了会导致显而易见的事故和受伤之外，还会增加肝脏疾病、中风、高血压、某些种类的癌症和痴呆的风险。
Particularly beginning in the 50s and 60s, the brain is more sensitive to alcohol. Booze basically enhances normal age-related cognitive decline. Neurons lose speed. Specifically, the insulating myelin sheaths around the axons of neurons -- the parts responsible for transmitting information to other neurons -- get smaller. As people age, 'neurons are not as efficient. So you impair them with a little bit of alcohol, they are that much more inefficient,' says Dr. Oslin. 'Somebody who goes to a cocktail party at 65 can have one or two drinks and be really impaired.'
尤其是从50和60多岁开始，人的大脑就会对酒精更敏感。酒精基本上会加重正常的衰老引起的认知功能衰退。神经元传播速度也会降低。具体来说，神经元轴突周围的绝缘性髓鞘――负责将信息传送至其他神经元的部分――变小了。奥斯林博士说，随着年纪增加，“神经元的效率会不如以前，所以你用一点酒精损害它们后，它们就会变得更没有效率。65岁的人去鸡尾酒会时喝一两杯酒就会损害很大”。
Older people are also more affected by alcohol's impact on sleep, a fact that can turn a mild hangover into a must-stay-in-bed-all-day affair. 'Alcohol in all ages wrecks our REM sleep,' says Alison A. Moore, professor of medicine and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. 'Older adults are more likely to have poor sleep. [Alcohol] can make sleep even more fragmented.'
年纪大的人的睡眠也会更容易受到酒精的影响，轻微宿醉会变成全天都得躺在床上。加州大学洛杉矶分校(University of California, Los Angeles)大卫格芬医学院(David Geffen School of Medicine)医药及精神病学教授艾莉森・摩尔(Alison A. Moore)说：“无论任何年龄，酒精都会破坏快速眼球运动睡眠，年长的人更有可能睡眠不好。（酒精）会导致睡眠更分散。”