wsj.com – Drinking After 40: Why Hangovers Hit Harder. A few excerpts…

• When you’re in your 40s, it’s pretty common to need reading glasses. You might need smaller wine glasses, too.
• That’s because alcohol hits people harder in their 40s and 50s than it did during their 20s and 30s.
• “All of the effects of alcohol are sort of amplified with age”
• 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.)
• 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.

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