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Experts share 4 ways this combination can negatively impact health.
Dec 13, 2025 2:25 PM EST
By Emily Laurence
Key Points
- Combining two popular beverage types after 50 increases risks to bone health and balance.
- This drink combo spikes blood sugar, dehydration risk and can interfere with medications.
- Experts recommend limiting such drinks, saving them for special occasions as you age.
If you’re over 50, you’ve probably noticed that what you eat and drink impacts you differently than when you were younger. Maybe in your younger years, you enjoyed late dinners with friends, but if you were to eat after 8 p.m. now, you’d be up with heartburn. Or perhaps you’ve noticed that a glass of wine hits you harder than it did in your 20s and 30s.
Besides impacting how you feel, certain foods and drinks can impact your health more now than in decades past in ways you might not even notice. For example, certain foods and drinks can accelerate bone loss, which is definitely something you want to avoid after 50 when the risk of weaker bones and bone fractures is much higher than in your 40s and younger.
The Drink Combination To Avoid if You’re 50 or Older
One drink combination that’s not beneficial for anyone—but especially people over 50—is alcohol and caffeine. This includes drinks like a Jack and Coke, espresso martinis, Irish coffee, White Russians and calimocho (red wine and soda).
Dr. Michelle Pearlman, MD, an internal medicine doctor and a physician nutrition specialist, says that there are four reasons why this drink combination is one to avoid.
1. It’s bad for your bones
If you’re combining alcohol with soda, you’re having a drink that’s doubly bad for your bones. Dr. Pearlman explains that both alcohol and soda can negatively impact bone health. “Soda consumption is associated with lower bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. Each additional serving of soda per day is associated with a 14% increased risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women,” she says.
She adds that the reason why soda negatively impacts bone health is that it contains phosphoric acid, which can disrupt calcium-to-phosphorus ratios, explaining, “Consuming more than two servings of soft drinks daily shows potential associations with higher hip fracture risk.”
As for alcohol, Dr. Pearlman says that women who consume more than two alcoholic drinks a day are at increased risk for calcium deficiency and chronic liver disease, leading to vitamin D deficiency. “The relationship is dose-dependent—heavy consumption is clearly detrimental, while some studies suggest moderate intake may have neutral or even slightly protective effects,” she says.
The takeaway here: Moderate alcohol consumption may not negatively impact your bones, but excessive alcohol consumption will—especially if it’s combined with soda.
2. It increases the risk of falling
Scientific research shows that balance significantly decreases with age, with 13% of adults between the ages of 65 and 69 reporting problems with balance and 46% of people 85 and older reporting problems with balance. Dr. Pearlman points out that this means that it can be even more difficult to balance after having an alcoholic drink or two, increasing the risk of falling. She adds that alcohol can interfere with many medications, something else to be aware of.
Remember how Dr. Pearlman explained how alcohol and soda can weaken bones? Having weak bones increases the risk of experiencing significant injury from falls.
3. It can negatively impact blood sugar
Alcoholic drinks with soda and espresso martinis can negatively impact blood sugar. Dr. Pearlman explains that alcoholic drinks with sugar, like these, cause rapid blood sugar spikes due to their high simple sugar content and lack of fiber or protein to slow absorption.
“Stable blood sugar becomes increasingly important because the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases and glucose metabolism naturally becomes less efficient. Additionally, diabetes itself is a risk factor for accelerated bone loss and fractures,” Dr. Pearlman says. This makes maintaining stable blood sugar levels even more important if you’re 50 or older.
4. It increases the risk of dehydration
While you may think that anytime you’re drinking something (no matter what it is), you’re hydrating the body, this isn’t exactly the case. “Combining soda with alcohol can contribute to dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic that increases urine production and fluid loss. While the liquid content of mixed drinks provides some hydration, the diuretic effect of alcohol typically outweighs this, especially with higher alcohol consumption. Caffeinated sodas add an additional mild diuretic effect,” Dr. Pearlman says.
If you are going to have an alcoholic drink, make sure you drink some water along with it to minimize the negative effects it can have on your hydration.
While enjoying an espresso martini every now and then isn’t going to negatively impact your health too much, you can see why you don’t want to make a habit of combining alcohol and caffeine. Save drinks like these for special occasions. You’ll find that you’ll savor them more this way anyway!
Original:
https://parade.com/health/never-combine-these-2-drinks-if-youre-over-50-a-doctor-and-nutrition-specialist-warn
