Moderate drinking in old age wards off dementia

The study, published online in the journal ‘Age And Ageing,’ found that those who drink moderate amount of alcohol are 30 percent less likely to develop dementia, and 40 percent less likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s than their teetotaler counterparts.

“People should be aware that we are talking about mild/moderate consumption of alcohol," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Siegfried Weyerer as saying.

“There is no doubt that long-term alcohol abuse is detrimental to memory function and can cause neurodegenerative disease.”

Study details
To reach their conclusion, researchers from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany, studied 3,500 Germans, in the ages 75 or over, who were attending GPs and did not suffer from dementia.

The participants were checked 18 months and three years later.

Out of all the 3,200 subjects free of dementia, only 217 met criteria for dementia during follow-up.

Study revelations
Findings of the study revealed that light to moderate drinking is inversely related to dementia incidence, the researchers noted.

Weyerer said, “Subjects consuming alcohol had approximately 30 per cent less overall dementia and 40 per cent less Alzheimer dementia than did non-drinking subjects.

“No significant differences were seen according to the type of alcoholic beverage consumed.

“Overall, these results are similar to several previous studies in the very elderly and suggest that moderate drinking is associated with less dementia, even among individuals aged 75 and older.”

Commenting on the findings, Doctor Harvey Finkel, of Boston University Medical Centre, said, “The badge of age is not a warning label of fragility.

“Elderly folks handle alcohol with more responsibility than do the young, and they may derive greater health benefits from moderate drinking.

“Age is not a reason for abstinence.”