Moderate Drinkers Did Not Have An Increased Risk Of Dementia

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 23:16

Moderate drinkers did not have an increased risk of dementia

According to an American study, most older adults who regularly drink a little alcohol (the equivalent of no more than 28 grams of alcohol a day) are no more likely to develop cognitive impairment or dementia than their peers who drink very rarely.

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According to an American study, most older adults who regularly drink a little alcohol (the equivalent of no more than 28 grams of alcohol a day) are no more likely to develop cognitive impairment or dementia than their peers who drink very rarely. The research results were published in the JAMA Network Open journal.

Scientists observed 3,021 people aged 72 and older for an average of six years. In the beginning, most of them had no cognitive problems, and 473 had only mild cognitive impairments. By the end of the follow-up, 512 people had developed dementia, including 348 cases of Alzheimer's disease. Among people who had no cognitive problems at the start of the study, the difference in risk of developing dementia was not related to the amount of alcohol they drank.

Participants with mild cognitive impairments who drank more than 100 grams of pure alcohol per week had a 3.5 times higher risk than those who drank no more than 14 grams (a glass of beer or a glass of vodka) per week. But people who completely abstained from it were also at increased risk.

“Our results provide some confidence that drinking within the recommended range was not associated with an increased risk of dementia in older adults with normal cognitive abilities,” said Manja Koch, lead author of the study at Harvard University. However, it reminds of the existence of individual risks.

For the study, the scientists grouped the participants according to their levels of alcohol consumption: 1) who did not drink at all; 2) who consumed less than 7 g of pure alcohol per week; 3) who consumed from 7 to 50 g per week; 4) more than 50 g.

People with mild cognitive impairment at the start of the study appeared to have a lower risk of dementia if they drank 50 to 100 grams of pure alcohol per week than those who drank less than 50 grams. Daily alcohol consumption in smaller amounts was also associated in this group with a lower the risk of dementia compared with irregular, but high doses of alcohol.

One of the limitations of the study is that the authors relied on the words of the participants. In addition, the number of drinkers among the participants was relatively small, which makes it impossible to draw clear conclusions about the effect of excessive alcohol consumption on the risk of developing dementia. Alcohol-related habits or lifestyles can also play a role in the development of dementia.