为何人到40岁后喝酒宿醉更厉害

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。”