According to the results of a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal eClinicalMedicine, there is no “safe” level of alcohol consumption which does not increase the risk of dementia among people who drink alcohol. What’s more, the study’s researchers used statistical and genetic analyses to demonstrate that the dementia risk increases in proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed.
While some earlier scientific studies suggested there may be a protective effect for lower and moderate levels of alcohol consumption, the new study demonstrates that these results were likely biased. Specifically, the researchers analyzed data from the UK Biobank for 313,958 white, British individuals who consumed alcohol. The study participants were dementia-free during initial data collection between 2006–2010, self-reported their drinking habits, and provided the UK Biobank genetic information. The data was collected until 2021, when the participants’ diagnoses of dementia were recorded.
“For many years, it used to be believed that moderate alcohol intake could be beneficial for heart health, but recent research has debunked this. There is no good reason to drink alcohol for health reasons,” Dr. Toy of Telapsychiatry to Medical News Today
The data analysis revealed a J-shaped curve when examining alcohol consumption and dementia risk. Specifically, light-to-moderate drinking of around 11.9 units of alcohol per week was associated with the lowest risk of dementia. However, higher alcohol consumption increased the dementia risk, particularly among men, for whom the lowest dementia risk was observed at 16.8 units of alcohol per week
Using two types of statistical analyses revealed a linear relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia risk, showing there is no safe level of alcohol consumption in terms of dementia risk. “Alcohol can negatively impact the brain’s memory center known as the hippocampus by causing cell atrophy and by inhibiting the growth of new neurons via a process called neurogenesis. We also know that chronic alcohol use can lead to depletion of an important B-vitamin, thiamine, which is also really important for memory and cognition,” said Dr. Ozan Toy, of Telapsychiatry, in his interview with Medical News Today.