A stiff drink after surgery does speed up your recovery

OLDER patients who enjoy a stiff drink may recover better after an operation than teetotallers, a study suggests.

People aged 60 and over who consumed ‘potentially unhealthy’ amounts of alcohol typically had a better quality of life.

Heavy drinkers reported significantly better mobility and self care and fewer problems with daily activities after surgery, compared to those who drank less or not at all.

Researcher Vera Guttenthaler, from University Hospital Bonn in Germany, said: ‘Higher alcohol consumption may lead to elevated mood, enhanced sociability and reduced stress.’

Doctors examined links between pre-operative alcohol consumption and quality of life for 628 patients after surgery lasting at least one hour.

Participants answered questions on their quality of life, mobility, pain, anxiety and daily tasks such as washing. Before surgery, those who drank more reported better overall health and less pain or discomfort, were more likely to perform self care and had a better ability to perform usual activities compared to those who did not drink at all or only consumed low levels of alcohol.

After surgery, those who drank more reported significantly better mobility, selfcare and ability to do usual daily activities.

Researchers accounted for differences in age, BMI and education level but not for socioeconomic status, physical activity or comorbidities.

Co-author Dr Maria Wittmann acknowledged the limitations of the study but said it was ‘an exciting topic for further studies’. King’s College London’s Dr Tony Rao said non drinkers in the study might have quit because of poor health, while heavy drinkers consume more because they are fit enough to socialise. ‘This study does not drive home the clear scientific message that alcohol is a direct cause of better health,’ he said.

The findings will be presented at the Euroanaesthe-sia Congress in Milan.