Is alcohol consumption related to future dementia risk among the elderly?
While previous studies have reported that individuals who consume moderate amounts of alcohol display a lower risk of dementia, new research has come to differing conclusions. Recently, the results of a prospective study, conducted in the United States among 3021 older community-dwelling participants, have been published in the JAMA Open Network.
This large cohort study sought to better understand the link between alcohol consumption and the risk of dementia among the elderly. To this end, 3021 study participants, ≥72 years old, who were free of dementia at entry were followed up, with alcohol consumption, alcohol drinking frequency, and alcohol quantity being self-reported.
During the median follow-up period of 6.0 years, 512 participants developed dementia, including 348 cases of Alzheimer disease. Statistical data analyzed revealed that the results differed depending upon the existence of mild cognitive impairment at the start of the follow-up. Subjects with MCI at baseline who consumed ≥14 alcoholic drinks per week were 72% more likely to experience progression towards dementia, compared to those who consumed less than one alcoholic beverage per week. For study participants without MCI at entry, no amount of alcohol consumption was proven significantly associated with a higher dementia risk. Therefore, it must be acknowledged that alcohol intake is not similarly related to future dementia between these two subgroups.
Of note is that in this study, the authors were unable to assess the effects of a higher alcohol intake than 14 beverages per week. Additionally, they could not confirm that in subjects with MCI at entry, even light to moderate amounts of alcohol intake were likely to fasten progression towards dementia. Hence, in their conclusion, the authors mentioned additional research to be needed to better define the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia risk in the elderly.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31560382
Koch M, Fitzpatrick AL, Rapp SR, et al. Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Dementia and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults With or Without Mild Cognitive Impairment. 2019;2:e1910319