People who never drink alcohol are more affected by senile dementia than those who drink it moderately. This is the conclusion reached by researchers in a study published this Wednesday, August 1 in the medical journal BMJ.
The scientists studied the cases of 9,087 British civil servants born between 1930 and 1950. They compared the rates of senile dementia between those between the ages of 30 and 50 who said they never drank alcohol and those who consumed it within the limit. recommended doses, i.e. between 1 and 14 units of alcohol per week.
The results should not encourage drinking
Results, the abstainers presented a 47% higher risk than the others. On the other hand, for those who had excessive alcohol consumption, the risks were even higher. The study is content with a statistical observation, without establishing cause and effect.
“Under no circumstances should the results observed in abstainers encourage non-drinkers to start drinking alcohol,” said the study’s lead author, Séverine Sabia, of the National Institute of Health and Health. medical research (INSERM). Alcohol in particular leads to many health risks (addiction, cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dementia affects 5 to 8% of people over 60, or about 50 million people.
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