Link found between daily alcohol consumption and dementia

Drinking two cans of beer or glasses of wine a day may reduce your chances of developing dementia, according to a major new study, but the risk of dementia increases with each sip. In addition, other factors may play a role, so experts do not recommend getting into the habit of drinking on a daily basis under the pretext of preventing dementia.

Drinking up to two cans of beer or glasses of wine a day may reduce the risk of dementia, according to a large study. According to the Daily Mail, researchers from South Korea analyzed the health data of four million people in the country, who were followed for eight years.

Those who drank one can of beer or a glass of wine a day had a 21 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who did not drink, while those who drank two drinks a day had a 17 percent risk below. But anyone who drank heavily — three or more drinks a day — had an eight percent higher risk.

The researchers hypothesized that alcohol in smaller amounts may protect against dementia because it reduces inflammation in the brain and blood density, allowing blood to circulate better.

But the study could not conclusively prove that it was alcohol that caused the reduced risk of dementia, and not another factor such as diet or genetics. The study also relied on participants’ self-reports of how often they drank alcohol.

The authors noted that the disadvantages of alcohol outweigh any small benefits.

Previous studies have warned that drinking alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and weaken the immune system.

The study linking daily alcohol consumption to dementia was reported after Canadian authorities insisted that people not drink more than two bottles of beer or glasses of wine per week, prompting some experts to call the recommendations “useless” and undermine the credibility of public health officials.

In the latest study, published today in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined the medical records of healthy adults in South Korea. The data was pulled from the database of the country’s National Health Insurance Service, which offers free health screening to insured Koreans over 40 twice a year. The participants were on average about 55 years old, and none of them had dementia at the start of the study.

Each of them underwent a health assessment between 2009 and 2011, where they were asked how many days per week they consumed alcohol and how much. Participants were interviewed again in 2018, about seven to eight years later, and answered the same questions about alcohol consumption and whether they had been diagnosed with dementia.

Participants were divided into four groups: non-drinkers, moderate drinkers (those who consumed less than 15 grams of alcohol per day or about one drink), moderate drinkers (who consumed 15 to 30 grams of alcohol), and heavy drinkers (those who consumed more than 30 grams of alcohol). in a day).

In the US, the CDC considers a standard drink to contain about 14 grams of alcohol. This is equivalent to a 12-ounce can of beer, a five-ounce glass of wine, or a 1.5-ounce serving of distilled spirits.

Throughout the study, 100,000 cases of dementia from all causes were identified. After adjusting for factors such as age, gender, smoking status and physical activity level, the researchers found that those who drank light or moderate amounts had a lower risk of developing the disease.

But reducing alcohol consumption during the study also had an effect. Commenting on the results, Dr. Dan Mallek, a public health expert at Brock University in Canada who was not involved in the study, told DailyMail.com: but I’m not going to rush just yet. In such studies, the question always arises of causation versus correlation and what I call the cart-before-the-horse effect.

He added: “The study shows a link between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced levels of dementia. Does moderate alcohol consumption reduce the risk of developing dementia, or are people less likely to develop dementia by drinking more in moderation?”

Dr. Percy Griffin, director of research for the Alzheimer’s Association, comments: “While this study is interesting and the topic deserves further study, no one should consume alcohol as a risk reduction method for Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia based on this study. This study does not information about the reasons.

Limitations of the study include that it was based on people’s self-reports of alcohol consumption, with many of them notoriously bad at remembering how much they drank.

The non-drinking group also tended to be older and of lower socioeconomic status than others, which may increase the risk of dementia from other causes.

Dr. Keun Hye-jeong, an assistant professor at the Gumi Medical Center in South Korea, who led the study, told CNN: “We found that maintaining mild to moderate alcohol consumption as well as reducing heavy to moderate alcohol consumption were associated with a reduction in risk of developing dementia.