Moderate drinking can reduce risks of Alzheimer's dementia and cognitive decline
December 29, 2008Moderate drinkers often have lower risks of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive loss, according to researchers who reviewed 44 studies.
In more than half of the studies, published since the 1990s, moderate drinkers of wine, beer and liquor had lower dementia risks than nondrinkers. In only a few studies were there increased risks.
"Alcohol is a two-edged sword," said Michael Collins, Ph.D., a professor and neuroscientist at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and lead author of the refereed report in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. "Too much is bad. But a little might actually be helpful."
Moderate alcohol consumption generally is defined as 1 drink or less per day for women and 1-2 drinks or less per day for men.
The article will be published in the February 2009 issue of the journal, and is available on line now. The article summarizes a roundtable, organized by Collins, held at the Research Society on Alcoholism meetings in Chicago in 2007.
"The pathological damage and vast social havoc from addiction to and abuse of alcohol are well known, and of necessity should continue to receive primary attention by doctors, scientific researchers and health professionals," Collins and colleagues write. "However, light-to-moderate responsible alcohol consumption "appears to carry certain health benefits."
Long-term alcohol abuse can cause memory loss and impair cognitive function. It's unknown why moderate alcohol use appears to have the opposite effect. One theory is that the well-known cardiovascular benefits of moderate alcohol consumption also can reduce the risk of mini strokes that cause dementia.
Collins and another Loyola professor, neuroscientist Edward Neafsey, Ph.D., suggest a second possible explanation. Small amounts of alcohol might, in effect, make brain cells more fit. Alcohol in moderate levels stresses cells and thus toughens them up to cope with major stresses down the road that could cause dementia.
For most people who drink responsibly and in moderation, there's probably no reason to quit. But because of the potential for alcohol to be abused, Collins and Neafsey do not recommend that abstainers begin drinking. The researchers note there are other things besides moderate drinking that can reduce the risk of dementia, including exercise, green tea, education and a Mediterranean diet high in fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans, nuts and seeds.
Moreover, there are times when people should never drink, including adolescence, pregnancy and before driving, Collins said.
Source: Loyola University
-
Women taking indigestion drugs at increased risk of hip fracture after menopause
20 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
-
Alcohol and your heart: Friend or foe?
Jan 30, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Tiny amounts of alcohol dramatically extend a worm's life, but why?
Jan 20, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (18) |
13
-
Is it the alcohol or polyphenols in red wine that decreases cardiovascular disease?
Jan 17, 2012 |
not rated yet |
1
-
Moderate red wine drinking may help cut women's breast cancer risk, study shows
Jan 06, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (28) |
26
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
4 / 5 (22) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Discovery predicts patient sensitivity to important drug target in deadly brain cancer
A recent discovery by Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists enables the prediction of patient sensitivity to proposed drug therapies for glioblastoma the most common and most aggressive malignant brain tumor ...
11 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
New study finds individual differences in anthrax susceptibility
Susceptibility to anthrax toxin is a heritable genetic trait that may vary tremendously among individuals, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
12 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
It's not solitaire: Brain activity differs when one plays against others
Researchers have found a way to study how our brains assess the behavior and likely future actions of others during competitive social interactions. Their study, described in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to use a ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
15 hours ago |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
2
|
Exercise triggers stem cells in muscle
University of Illinois researchers determined that an adult stem cell present in muscle is responsive to exercise, a discovery that may provide a link between exercise and muscle health. The findings could lead to new therapeutic ...
15 hours ago |
4.7 / 5 (6) |
0
|
Study identifies new prostate cancer drug target
Research led by Wanguo Liu, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has identified a new protein critical to the development and growth of prostate cancer. The findings are published ...
12 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Nicira promises virtual networks will transform networking
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the past four years, founders of the start-up company Nicira have been developing cutting-edge software that they predict will transform the networking technology underlying the Internet. ...
Navy to begin tests on electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher
The Office of Naval Research (ONR)'s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility ...
Study of diving beetles suggest sperm evolution may be driven by changes in female reproductive organs
Studying female reproductive tracts and sperm in diving beetles (Dytiscidae), researchers from the University of Arizona and Syracuse University have obtained a glimpse into a bizarre and amazing world of spe ...
Fossil cricket: Jurassic love song reconstructed
Some 165 million years ago, the world was host to a diversity of sounds. Primitive bushcrickets and croaking amphibians were among the first animals to produce loud sounds by stridulation (rubbing certain body parts together). ...
New insight from whole-genome sequencing of Europe's 2011 E. coli outbreaks
Using whole-genome sequencing, a team led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Broad Institute has traced the path of the E. coli outbreak that sickened thousands and killed over 50 people in Ger ...
Redder ladybirds more deadly, say scientists
A ladybird's colour indicates how well-fed and how toxic it is, according to an international team of scientists. Research led by the Universities of Exeter and Liverpool directly shows that differences between ...
Dec 29, 2008
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Less than 1 would be zero, so not drinking at all should be as good as 1 for women or 2 for men?
Dec 30, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
Miss math class the day they discussed fractions? Zero drinks a day is less than one drink a day, but so is one half a drink, or two thirds of a drink, or one quarter of a drink.
Dec 30, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
Dec 30, 2008
Rank: not rated yet
I can save up the daily for Sat night with a 12pack?
Oh wait....I forgot....its 14........ I better catch up the dementia is creeping in.
Jan 04, 2009
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
That's not moderate drinking, that's binge drinking or "heavy episodic drinking".
Jan 05, 2009
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Ozzy Osbourne will be a genius at 80 at the rate he's going.