Older sperm donors 'just as good'

Dr Meenakshi Choudhary told the BBC: "It doesn't matter up to the age of 45 years, there was no decline observed in this study.

"Sperm donors are a select group of the population, they are healthy fertile donors who go through a stringent recruitment criteria.

"Based on this we can say that age does not matter as long as the sperm quality is good."

'Men not invincible'

Dr Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer in sperm at the University of Sheffield, said men should not be tempted by complacency.

He told the BBC: "I think there is a perception out there that men are invincible from reproductive ageing - we just need to look at Charlie Chaplin who was 73 when he had his eleventh child.

"We know that as men go above the age of 40 and go into their fifties, their chances of getting a woman pregnant does reduce as a consequence of age.

"I don't think you can take this data and apply it uncritically to the general population, the advice would still be you should be trying to have a child before the age of 40 or 45."

Joan Bakewell on older drinkers

Joan Bakewell presents Panorama: Old, Drunk and Disorderly? BBC One, Monday, 10 September at 19:30 BST Then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer I have just returned from holidaying in France with a car boot rattling with the sound of a very nice Muscadet. So, yes, I am a sure fire target for the health police.

I was put through my paces. This meant keeping a record of my own drinking patterns for a month.

It was during July - a season of chilled white wine, sunny days with a glass of something refreshing in hand, parties in gardens, on terraces, by the sea.

Government guidelines for women allow a daily limit of 3 units a day.

But I didn't always refuse a top-up or even the second drink that would take me to that limit.

And when comparing my habits to the advice handed down, it did make me query who the people are who draw up these rules. And what do they know of our real lives?

More seriously what do they know of the dilemmas of older people and the problems they confront as they face old age?

Loneliness, isolation

The loss of friends, personal bereavement, sudden redundancy or retirement, loneliness and isolation can all feel like good reasons to reach for the bottle. I met several such people and heard their stories.

There is 73-year-old Barbara Smith who told me how the death of her husband played a big part in causing her drinking to spiral out of control.

Her drinking reached as much as a bottle of wine every day - around four times the government's recommended limit.

And Barbara, who is now getting support to help her cut down her drinking, is not alone. Experts advise that people refrain from drinking on at least two days a week, yet more over-65s are drinking six or seven days a week than any other age group.

Continue reading the main storyUnits of alcohol Bottle (75cl) of wine - 10 units Small (125ml) glass of wine - 1.5 units Standard (175ml) glass of wine - 2.1 units Large (250ml) glass of wine - 3 units Pint of weaker (3.6%) beer - 2 units Pint of stronger (5.2%) beer - 3 units Bottle (330ml) of beer - 1.7 units Can (440ml) of beer - 2 units Alcopop bottle (275ml) - 1.5 units Small (25ml) shot of spirits - 1 unit Large (35ml) shot of spirits - 1.4 units

Source: NHS

Alcohol units guide I also met a number of qualified professionals who are helping snatch older problem drinkers back from the brink, and add years to their lives.

In Hampshire, the local Primary Care Trust has the highest number of hospital admissions of over-65s in England for alcohol-related problems.

They have responded by setting up a specialist alcohol team at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth to help identify and tackle the issue.

For many elderly people drinking at home, it is quite easy to drink more than they realise and to creep above safe limits says Dr Richard Aspinall, a consultant hepatologist in Portsmouth.

"We think of a very visible social disorder, consequences of young people binge drinking on a Saturday night in our town centres, but what's much more hidden is quiet, below the radar drinking at home."

He and others are both wise and sympathetic to the issue of older people and drinking. They do not disapprove of social drinking, but don't want it to become an addiction.

I'll be keeping their phone numbers to hand. You just never know what the years will hold!

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Nightcap 'good for older women'

A sherry before bedtime may be advisable Women who enjoy an alcoholic drink in the evening tend to be healthier as they move into old age, research shows.

This nightcap could be a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a single measure of spirit, PLoS Medicine journal reports.

A study of 14,000 women concluded that those who drink in moderation were far more likely to reach 70 in good health than heavier drinkers or abstainers.

Spreading consumption over the week is better than saving it for the weekend, the researchers say.

Women who drank little and often fared better than occasional drinkers.

Compared with non-drinkers, women in their mid-50s who drank 15-30g of alcohol (one to two drinks) a day had a 28% greater likelihood of achieving what the US researchers call "successful ageing", meaning good general health free of conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease in their 70s and beyond.

Continue reading the main story“Start QuoteModerate amounts of alcohol may offer some protection against heart disease, especially for women who have gone through the menopause, but it's very important not to go overboard”

End QuoteNatasha Stewart of the British Heart Foundation And women who drank on 5-7 days of the week had almost double the chance of good overall health in old age compared with complete abstainers.

Experts are not sure whether it is the alcohol itself that is conferring the benefit or whether it simply goes hand in hand with other things in the lives of the women that makes them healthier.

The Harvard School of Public Health researchers said they tried to control for factors like smoking that might have affected the results.

Other studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption - no more than the recommended two to three units a day for women in the UK - is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and some other health conditions.

And research has shown alcohol can have a positive impact in the body, reducing insulin resistance, inflammation, high cholesterol and other harmful processes.

However, drinking has been linked to other conditions, such as breast cancer.

Experts welcomed the findings, saying they supported current recommendations concerning alcohol limits.

Natasha Stewart of the British Heart Foundation said: "Moderate amounts of alcohol may offer some protection against heart disease, especially for women who have gone through the menopause, but it's very important not to go overboard.

"Drinking too much doesn't offer any heart health protection at all and may actually lead to heart muscle damage, stroke and high blood pressure. And if you don't already drink alcohol, there is certainly no need to start now.

"Clearly there are much better ways to look after your heart than drinking alcohol, like eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting active and by not smoking."