An Australian study says that moderate drinking in later life can help prevent dementia. The study by the Center for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University (ANU) suggests that moderate alcohol intake could help to protect older people from developing the memory-robbing illness dementia.
Dementia is a chronic and progressive age-related disease characterized by irreversible cognitive decline and functional impairment. The disease is a non-specific illness syndrome, in which affected areas of cognition can be memory, attention, language, and problem solving.
The Australian researchers reached their findings after analyzing the results of 15 research studies that assessed the effects of moderate drinking among some 10,000 people globally.
“We looked at the results of studies that followed up with participants at intervals over two to eight years,” said study leader Kaarin Anstey.
Study Findings
"We found that light to moderate drinkers were 28 percent less likely to develop Alzheimers than non-drinkers, 25 per cent less likely to develop vascular
dementia, and 26 per cent less likely to develop any dementia," she said.
While the excessive consumption of alcohol could cause multiple organ damage, small amounts have been associated with improving some health conditions.
"There has been experimental studies showing that alcohol can reduce inflammation. It also reduces some of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and we know now that many of the risk factors for heart disease are similar risk factors for dementia," Anstey said.
However, she said drinkers should not use the research as an excuse to drink more.
On their findings of the meta-analysis, Anstey said: "These are observational studies and I guess all you can say from observing all these people is that the people who were drinking light to moderate amounts of alcohol regularly had a lower risk of developing dementia.”
However, the study authors are ambiguous why moderate consumption of alcohol could cut the risk of dementia, but they believe it could be because of a protective effect of alcohol in reducing inflammation and cardiovascular disease or the benefits of social interaction associated with drinking.
The findings are published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
More on dementia
Dementia is a progressive and long-term decline in the cognitive function, due to the damage or disease in the body, generally beyond normal aging.
Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it may occur in any stage of adulthood. The disease currently affects over 24 million people worldwide.
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