2012-07-18 09:32:28
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
Drinking even "moderate" amounts of alcohol increases dementia risk, US
research suggests.
The findings, presented at an international conference, challenge the notion
that some alcohol could be good for ageing brains.
People who stick to recommended alcohol limits are still at risk, as well as
bingers and heavy drinkers, according to the work.
The study tracked the health over 20 years of 1,300 women in their mid-60s.
The risk, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to full blown dementia, was
higher among those who reported drinking more alcohol.
Start Quote
Many people will drink to relax and it's important to keep an eye on the amount
of alcohol we consume
Dr Marie Janson Alzheimer's Research UK
Women who switched from abstinence to drinking over the course of the study
also increased their risk.
Those who drank alcohol "in moderation", meaning seven to 14 alcoholic drinks a
week, were also more likely to develop problems with memory and brain
functioning that can be a warning sign of future dementia.
The lower end of this range falls within the UK's recommended limit for women,
but since alcohol measures in the US are larger than in the UK, 14 drinks a
week would exceed this UK weekly cut off.
And since the study only looked at women, it is not possible to say if the same
link will apply in elderly men.
Researcher Tina Hoang, of the Veterans Health Research Institute in San
Francisco, said: "In this group of older women, moderate alcohol consumption
was not protective.
UK Alcohol limits
Men - 3-4 units a day
Women - 2-3 units a day
One unit of alcohol is 8g or about half a pint of lager, a small glass (125ml)
of wine or a 25ml of spirits
"Clinicians should carefully assess their older patients for both how much they
drink and any changes in patterns of alcohol use."
She told the Alzheimer's Association International Conference that it might be
that brains become more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol as we age.
Some UK experts have recommended alcohol limits should be even tighter for
older people for this reason.
Alternatively, the researchers say the link could be caused by factors that
drive people to drink - stress or bereavement, for example.
US alcohol limits
The US Government definition of "a drink" is 14g of alcohol
Men - no more than 2 drinks a day
Women - no more than one drink a day
At the same meeting, another group of US researchers presented more work
showing the potential harms of binge drinking.
Among the 5,075 men and women they studied, those who reported heavy bouts of
drinking - at least one episode per month - were more likely to experience
dementia-like problems.
Fortnightly binges doubled the risk.
Drinking alcohol can cause your blood pressure and blood cholesterol to rise
which, in turn, can damage the blood vessels supplying the brain, causing
problems like vascular dementia.
Men are advised to drink no more than three to four units of alcohol a day, and
women no more than two to three units a day. A unit of alcohol is equal to
about half a pint of normal strength lager, a small glass of wine or a pub
measure (25ml) of spirits.
Dr Marie Janson, of Alzheimer's Research UK ,said: "In a country with major
concerns over binge drinking, these new findings should be taken seriously by
people of all ages.
"There is mounting evidence linking alcohol consumption to cognitive decline,
but this research delves deeper by examining the effects of different drinking
patterns in more detail.
"These researchers found that in older people, even moderate drinking may have
a harmful effect, in contrast to some previous research suggesting that
moderate drinking may bring benefits.
"Such differing findings underline the need for more in-depth studies to tease
out how different drinking patterns affect cognition.
"Many people will drink to relax and it's important to keep an eye on the
amount of alcohol we consume."
She said that the best advice was to keep alcohol consumption light throughout
life to reap some benefits and protect against the risks of over-indulging.