An Australian study recently observed that moderate alcohol consumption could protect against the risk of dementia, a syndrome that can lead to cognitive decline.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 50 million people have dementia worldwide.
- The most common dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
In the long term, alcohol, even consumed in small quantities, increases the risk of certain diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, digestive and immune system pathologies as well as mental disorders. Alcoholic beverages can also lead to daily difficulties such as fatigue, high blood pressure or sleep disturbances.
Moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of dementia
According to a recent study published in the journal Addiction, however, moderate alcohol consumption may have health benefits. This habit could protect against the risk of dementia, a syndrome that can lead to a deterioration in memory, reasoning, behavior and the ability to carry out daily activities.
To reach this conclusion, the team from the University of New South Wales (Australia) examined 15 old cohorts which contained information on the drinking habits and dementia rates of 24,478 people over the age of 60 years.
During the research, the participants were divided into several groups:
- abstainers;
- occasional drinkers (1.3 g of ethanol per day);
- light to moderate drinkers (1.3 g to 25 g per day);
- moderate to heavy drinkers (25 g to 45 g per day);
- excessive drinkers (more than 45 g per day).
Excessive alcohol consumption remains dangerous for health
The volunteers were observed for 40 years. At baseline, no subject had dementia, but during follow-up, 2,124 people were diagnosed with dementia. According to the results, occasional drinkers and light to moderate drinkers were 22% less likely to have dementia compared to abstainers. Scientists also found that people who drank two and a half pints of beer a day had a 38% reduced risk.
“Results show that people who never drank alcohol are more likely to develop dementia than those who drank it”, said Dr. Sara Imarisio, research director at Alzheimer’s Research Uk (United Kingdom). Drinking alcohol in moderation may also raise levels of ‘good’ cholesterol, study authors say in the blood. However, they stressed that excessive alcohol consumption remains dangerous for health, as it can alter the proper functioning of the brain, and therefore increase the risk of dementia.
The results of this study should be taken with a grain of salt. In particular, the scientists pointed out that the participants tended to underestimate their alcohol consumption. Moreover, the different cohorts included few excessive alcohol drinkers who were the most likely to develop a form of dementia.