Moderate social drinking reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia by 23 percent, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Their analysis of 143 studies found that drinking wine was better than beer or liquor.
The analysis, which reviewed the drinking habits of 365,000 men and women, is published in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. Moderate drinking is defined in the United States as up to two drinks a day for men, and one drink a day for women. A standard drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
"We don't recommend that nondrinkers start drinking," said co-author Edward J. Neafsey, Ph.D. in a press release. "But moderate drinking — if it is truly moderate — can be beneficial."
Heavy drinking (more than three drinks a day) is associated with a higher risk of dementia and cognitive impairment (the ability to think, concentrate, reason, and remember). Even though this study confirmed a link, the finding wasn't statistically significant.
Additional findings include:
• Moderate drinking's protective effect held after adjusting for age, sex, education, and smoking.
• No difference was found in the effect of alcohol on men and women.
• Out of 19 countries studied, the beneficial effect of drinking was seen in 14.
Why does drinking protect the brain? Scientists aren't sure, but they theorize that the cardiovascular benefits of moderate drinking, which include raising HDL "good" cholesterol, improves blood flow in the brain. Another theory believes that "sick quitters" — heavy drinkers who damaged their brain cells before quitting — are included in the nondrinking group and skew the findings.
But the new analysis said that in studies which excluded former heavy drinkers, the protective effect of moderate drinking was still valid. The authors propose a new theory — that small amounts of alcohol make brain cells more fit. They believe that moderate amounts of alcohol may stress brain cells and toughen them, allowing them to cope with major stress in the future that could cause dementia.
There are additional benefits of moderate alcohol use, according to the Mayo Clinic. Moderate drinking may:
• Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease
• Lower risk of dying from a heart attack
• Reduce risk of strokes
• Lower risk of diabetes
• Reduce risk of gallstones
Still, there are times you shouldn't drink including during pregnancy, while driving, and before reaching adulthood.
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