Harmful Alcohol Consumption Among People Aged 55 and Over in Brazil: What Do the Data Show?

Harmful alcohol use is yet another challenge arising from the aging of the Brazilian population. Analyses conducted by CISA – the Information Center on Health and Alcohol indicate growth in both alcohol-related deaths and abusive consumption among people aged 55 and over in Brazil.

Although this article is based on data from the publication Alcohol and the Health of Brazilians: Panorama 2024, it is worth noting that on November 12, CISA will release Panorama 2025, with updated datasets and an even more detailed look at the population aged 55 and older. The new edition, which will be available for download on CISA’s website, delves deeper into the very points discussed here: trends in alcohol-attributable deaths, consumption patterns, and care priorities in aging — providing a more current overview to guide prevention and health assistance strategies.

Data analyzed for Alcohol and the Health of Brazilians: Panorama 2024 show that alcohol-attributable deaths disproportionately affect people over 55 years old — and this trend is on the rise. The age group 55 and over was the only one to show an increase in alcohol-related deaths between 2010 and 2022, with a 29.4% rise over the period. Among women, the increase was even higher, reaching 33.6%, while among men, it was 27.6%. Despite this difference, men continue to be the most affected, accounting for 68% of these deaths.

In absolute numbers, alcohol-attributable deaths in the 55+ population rose from 30,471 in 2010 to 39,440 in 2022. Among men, the number went from 21,043 to 26,844, and among women, from 9,428 to 12,595. Notably, all other age groups showed declines in alcohol-related deaths, especially younger cohorts.

Regarding causes of death in this population, older adults tend to suffer more from the long-term effects of alcohol use. The elderly are more affected by chronic health conditions that are aggravated by continued alcohol consumption. There is also a marked difference between men and women regarding causes of death. While younger individuals are more affected by external causes — such as violence and traffic accidents linked to alcohol use — older adults are more likely to die from chronic diseases such as hypertension, cancer, and alcoholism itself.

The main causes of alcohol-related deaths among people aged 55 and over varied by sex:

• Men: Alcoholic liver disease (21%), Alcohol use disorders (15%), Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis (7%), and Colon cancer (4%).
• Women: Hypertension (7.9%), Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis (7.8%), Pneumonia (7.0%), and Colon cancer (5.8%).

Other causes mentioned include liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and esophageal cancer.

Another noteworthy finding is the increase in binge drinking among people aged 55 and over, characterized by consuming large quantities of alcohol within a short period. In 2010, 8.9% of Brazilians in this age group reported this pattern of consumption, rising to 10.6% in 2023. Binge drinking is more common among men (11.3%) than women (9.6%). It is also important to note that the peak prevalence in the time series was observed in 2021, reaching 13.4%, with spikes during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021).

Aging can reduce the body’s tolerance to alcohol due to various physiological and body composition changes. With age, total body water and lean body mass decrease, which reduces the volume of alcohol distribution and increases blood alcohol concentration for the same dose. Other factors include reduced first-pass metabolism, decreased blood flow and liver volume (resulting in slower alcohol clearance), and greater sensitivity of the central nervous system to alcohol’s effects. Impaired balance and vision, a tendency toward orthostatic hypotension, and more fragmented sleep further increase the risk of falls and confusion after drinking.

Additionally, there are psychosocial risk factors that are relatively common in this age group and may contribute to harmful alcohol use — such as widowhood, loneliness, loss of friends, retirement, and social isolation.

The scenario is worrisome considering that this segment of the population is more vulnerable to alcohol’s effects, requiring increased attention to health care. Combined with the rapid growth of Brazil’s elderly population, this calls for urgent implementation of programs promoting healthy aging, including campaigns to prevent harmful alcohol use.

References:

1.      GBD 2023 Disease and Injury and Risk Factor Collaborators (2025). Burden of 375 diseases and injuries, risk-attributable burden of 88 risk factors, and healthy life expectancy in 204 countries and territories, including 660 subnational locations, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Lancet (London, England), 406(10513), 1873–1922. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01637-X

2.      GBD 2023 Causes of Death Collaborators (2025). Global burden of 292 causes of death in 204 countries and territories and 660 subnational locations, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023. Lancet (London, England), 406(10513), 1811–1872. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01917-8