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Award-winning actress Shirley MacLaine is perhaps best known for her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film “The Trouble with Harry,” as well as her roles in “The Apartment,” “Terms of Endearment” and “Steel Magnolias.” But as it turns out, she’s also a lifestyle expert and longevity expert. “I have what I consider to be just a perfect life… I eat what I want, and sleep when I want.”Sage while getting older“said the author the people In 2019, before her 85th birthday. Fast forward to her 90th birthday on April 24, 2024, and she was still singing the same tune. “I have my friends and I’m really healthy,” she announced during an interview with . the people.
In March 2017, McLean revealed to… Florida Times-Union She had quit smoking the previous year. (In case you were wondering, here What happens to your lungs when you quit smoking.) But ironically, it seems the longevity lover is the one who draws the line at her favorite cocktail. As you reported New York PostIn December 2025, she was seen enjoying a casual lunch with her male assistant, eating a sandwich and sipping an iced martini. Cheers?
Shirley MacLaine is rumored to have ignored her doctors’ warnings about her drinking
However, Shirley MacLaine’s lunch ritual is rumored to be neither harmful nor merely entertaining. A source said: “It seems like Shirley can’t have lunch without her favorite wine or cocktail, and people around her are shaking their heads.” Globe magazine In April 2025. The anonymous insider added: “She’s ignoring doctors’ warnings about drinking too much, and friends are worried about her health. She’s about to turn 91 and can barely walk on her own, and the fear is she’ll fall and hurt herself while drunk.”
But Maclean was adamant during an interview with Florida Times-Union In 2017 she has never had a problem with alcohol or drugs. “I’ve smoked two cigarettes. I’m stupid when it comes to how to enjoy yourself,” she told the daily. Instead, McLean claims her only addiction is sugar. “I don’t eat a lot of it, but I have to eat it every day,” she said during an interview. The Guardian Before helping herself to a Twix and Snickers from the hotel minibar for her and the reporter to share.
Experts say the risks of alcohol increase with age
Everything in moderation? Contrary to the concerns of anonymous insiders, according to registered nutritionist Charlotte Four Green, Shirley MacLaine’s love of martinis isn’t necessarily detrimental to her health. “Having a drink during the day may be perfectly fine for some people, especially when it’s just one drink, and with food,” she said. Welcome!. “Eating slows down the absorption of alcohol, so the effect on the body and mind is milder.” As it turns out, Green said McClain’s age isn’t a factor either, as long as she drinks responsibly. “At 91, it’s all about balance. Research on longevity and maintaining youthfulness keeps coming back to the same things — staying connected, eating well, moving your body, and finding moments of joy in the day,” Green explained. She added that even a “well-made martini with lunch” can be beneficial and supportive of “a very happy and long life.” Also worth noting is the martini among the drinks menu Alcoholic drinks with fewer calories Of most.
However, we all know that Drinking alcohol has real effects on your body Unfortunately, these effects increase as you age. Sarah Jo Nixon, director of the Center for Addiction Research and Education at the University of Florida, said: New York Times In 2025, alcohol affects “almost every organ in the body.” “It particularly affects older people, because there is already some decline or impact in those areas,” she added. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommends that people age 65 or older who are not currently taking any medications consume no more than one alcoholic drink per day on average, and no more than seven drinks per week (via Johns Hopkins Medicine).
