Study Moderate alcohol consumption counteracts dementia risk

Alcohol abstinence in middle age and heavy drinking increase dementia risk

It has been known for some time that heavy drinking increases the risk of dementia enormously. However, there is also evidence that low alcohol consumption can help to prevent dementia. This was again shown in a study. Wine is apparently particularly well suited for this.

More and more people suffer from dementia

According to experts, around 47 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, most of them from Alzheimer's. While the exact causes of the disease are still unclear, scientists have identified a number of risk factors. Strong alcohol consumption is one of them. However, those who drink moderately in middle age can even lower their disease risk according to a new study.

According to a new study, moderate alcohol consumption can help reduce dementia risk. Wine is better suited than beer. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com)

Moderate drinking associated with reduced dementia risk

People who abstain from alcohol or consume a lot of alcoholic drinks in middle age are at an increased risk of developing dementia.

This is the result of a study published in the medical journal "BMJ".

As stated in a report in the journal "Eurek Alert!", The underlying mechanisms in the two groups are likely to be different.

Earlier studies have shown that moderate drinking is associated with a reduced risk of dementia.

Researchers found that regular moderate consumption of red wine can apparently protect against dementia. Among other things, this has to do with the positive effect of the polyphenols in the wine on nerve structures and blood vessels.

Medical data of over 9,000 civil servants

A research team led by Séverine Sabia of France's National Institute for Health (INSERM) and University College London (UCL) has looked at the relationship between middle-aged alcohol consumption and the risk of early-stage dementia in the new study.

They also looked at whether cardiometabolic disorders (including, but not limited to, stroke, coronary heart disease and diabetes) have any effect on this relationship.

Their study is based on the evaluation of medical data of 9,087 British officials between the ages of 35 and 55 years.

During the observation period, a total of 397 cases of dementia were recorded. The mean age at diagnosis was 76 years.

Wine is better than beer

According to a statement from UCL, the researchers found that abstinence at midlife or drinking more than 14 units a week was associated with a higher risk of dementia compared to drinking 1-14 units.

According to the scientists, the risk of dementia from drinking heavily increases by 17 percent for every seven additional units of alcohol consumed per week.

In the UK, 14 units of alcohol per week are the recommended upper limit for men and women, but in many other countries a much higher threshold is used to define harmful drinking.

14 units are equivalent to about six glasses of beer (half liter) with four percent alcohol content or six glasses of wine à 175 milliliters with an alcohol content of 13 percent or 14 glasses of high percentage 25 milliliters with an alcohol content of 40 percent.

The study also found that among moderate drinkers, wine drinkers have lower risk of dementia compared to those who consume beer or high-percentage alcohol.

The researchers also found that the higher dementia risk of abstainers is due to a greater risk of cardiometabolic disease.

No one should be encouraged to drink

In summary, these results suggest that abstinence and over-consumption are associated with an increased risk of dementia, the researchers say, although the underlying mechanisms in the two groups may be different.

However, the scientists also point out that this was an observational study, so that no clear conclusions about cause and effect can be drawn.

However, according to the study authors, their findings reinforce "the evidence that excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for dementia".

Their findings are intended to "motivate people who do not drink to drink, given the known harmful effects of alcohol consumption on mortality, neuropsychiatric disorders, cirrhosis and cancer".

Some teetotallers may have drunk a lot earlier

This study is important because it closes knowledge gaps, "but we should remain cautious and the current recommendations on alcohol use are not based solely on epidemiological studies," said Sevil Yasar of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.

"Because this study only looks at midlife drinking, we do not know about their drinking habits in their previous adulthood," said UK Alzheimer's Research Center Director Sara Imarisio to the Science Media Center..

It is possible that people who were abstinent during the study period used to drink a lot in the past, increasing their risk of dementia.

"People who completely abstain from alcohol may have had a strong alcohol dependence in the past, which may make it more difficult to interpret the links between alcohol consumption and health," said the expert.

Healthy brain aging

"Future research will have to look at drinking habits over a lifetime, and this will help shed more light on the relationship between alcohol and dementia," Imarisio said.

She also pointed out that it is important not only to avoid excessive alcohol consumption because of the reduced risk of dementia:

"We know that a healthy lifestyle, including reducing too much alcohol, can improve health and reduce the risk of dementia, and a good motto is: what's good for the heart is good for the brain," says Imarisio.

"Not smoking, having a healthy and balanced diet, staying mentally and physically active, and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control are all ways to support healthy brain aging." (Ad)