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A study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2012 (AAIC 2012) in Vancouver suggested consistent heavy drinking appeared to have a negative impact on cognitive decline.
Dr Angelique Mavrodaris, Clinical Fellow in Public Health at Warwick Medical School, said:
“This is an important study emphasising the distinct effects of alcohol on cognition and the pressing need for wider public health action on alcohol use – particularly in light of increasing alcohol consumption trends in both the young and the old.
“This work reports an association between heavy episodic drinking and increased risk of cognitive decline in adults over 65 years of age.
“Although odds ratios for associations between binge drinking once a month and decline in cognitive functioning were not statistically significant, binge drinking twice or more per month was associated with significantly increased risk of cognitive decline.
“It is not clear if drinking history was taken into account or if the impact of additional confounders such as comorbidity was evaluated. Further research regarding type of alcohol is necessary.”
Dr Anne Corbett, Research Manager, Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“There has been a lot of research into the link between alcohol and dementia. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that while an occasional tipple could actually help to protect the brain, binge drinking could be linked to an increased cognitive decline.
“These latest studies help reinforce the link between heavy drinking and dementia, but we need much more research to better understand exactly how drinking alcohol affects the brain. In the meantime, eating well and exercising regularly are key ways of reducing your risk of dementia.”
Dr Marie Janson, Director of Development at 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. Many people will drink to relax and it’s important to keep an eye on the amount of alcohol we consume. The findings make clearer the relationship between alcohol use and cognitive decline, and we see stark warnings against heavy drinking for both cognitive and a great many other health reasons. We still lack truly long-term research findings from a diverse population in this area, but the best advice is to keep alcohol consumption light throughout life to reap some benefits and protect against the risks of over-indulging.
“Evidence that helps individuals control their risk of cognitive decline is important, and can also help inform public health decisions. We must support research that helps build a picture of all the lifestyle and environmental factors that conspire to cause dementia.”
‘Heavy Episodic Drinking and Risk of Cognitive Decline in Older Adults’ by Laing, A. et al., presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2012 (AAIC 2012) in Vancouver on Wednesday 18th July.