Light drinking may protect brain function
Study shows that for older people it could help cognitive condition

Date:
June 30, 2020
Source:
University of Georgia
Summary:
Light to moderate drinking may preserve brain function in older age,
according to a new study.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Light to moderate drinking may preserve brain function in older age,
according to a new study from the University of Georgia.


==========================================================================
The study examined the link between alcohol consumption and changes
in cognitive function over time among middle-aged and older adults in
the U.S.

"We know there are some older people who believe that drinking a little
wine everyday could maintain a good cognitive condition," said lead author Ruiyuan Zhang, a doctoral student at UGA's College of Public Health.

"We wanted to know if drinking a small amount of alcohol actually
correlates with a good cognitive function, or is it just a kind of
survivor bias." Regular, moderate alcohol consumption has been shown
to promote heart health and some research points to a similar protective benefit for brain health.

However, many of these studies were not designed to isolate the effects
of alcohol on cognition or did not measure effects over time.

Zhang and his team developed a way to track cognition performance over
10 years using participant data from the nationally representative Health
and Retirement Study.



========================================================================== During the study, a total of 19,887 participants completed surveys
every two years about their health and lifestyle, including questions
on drinking habits.

Light to moderate drinking is defined as fewer than eight drinks per
week for women and 15 drinks or fewer per week among men.

These participants also had their cognitive function measured in a
series of tests looking at their overall mental status, word recall and vocabulary. Their test results were combined to form a total cognitive
score.

Zhang and his colleagues looked at how participants performed on these cognitive tests over the course of the study and categorized their
performance as high or low trajectories, meaning their cognitive function remained high over time or began to decline.

Compared to nondrinkers, they found that those who had a drink or two
a day tended to perform better on cognitive tests over time.

Even when other important factors known to impact cognition such as age, smoking or education level were controlled for, they saw a pattern of
light drinking associated with high cognitive trajectories.

The optimal amount of drinks per week was between 10 and 14 drinks. But
that doesn't mean those who drink less should start indulging more,
says Zhang.

"It is hard to say this effect is causal," he said. "So, if some
people don't drink alcoholic beverages, this study does not encourage
them to drink to prevent cognitive function decline." Also of note,
the association was stronger among white participants versus African
American participants, which is significant, said Zhang, and prompts
further exploration into the mechanisms of alcohol's effect on cognition.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Georgia. Original
written by Lauren Baggett. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ruiyuan Zhang, Luqi Shen, Toni Miles, Ye Shen, Jose Cordero,
Yanling Qi,
Lirong Liang, Changwei Li. Association of Low to Moderate Alcohol
Drinking With Cognitive Functions From Middle to Older Age Among
US Adults. JAMA Network Open, 2020; 3 (6): e207922 DOI: 10.1001/
jamanetworkopen.2020.7922 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200630125135.htm

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