According to a recent study, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol each day may reduce the risk of dementia in older women.
Researchers followed over 4,400 women, aged 65 to 79, for an average of 4.2 years with annual Modified Mini-Mental State Examinations (MMSE) -- a measure of cognitive function -- and other tests to detect mild cognitive impairment and possible dementia. Findings indicated women who drank one or more alcoholic drinks a day tended to perform better on tests of cognitive function (focusing on memory, language, concentration and abstract learning) than women who reported drinking less.
Even when adjusting for factors such as education level and family income, researchers still found moderate alcohol intake was linked to better cognitive function and a decreased risk of dementia.
Suggested Reasons Why Alcohol Affects Cognitive Function
May reduce the development of blood clots in the brain and increase blood flow, improving cognition
Tends to increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol, which may reduce the risk for narrowed vessels in the brain
May decrease the formation of plaque associated with Alzheimer's
However, despite discoveries researchers warn the results of the study should be interpreted with caution: By no means do they encourage people who don't drink to start, nor do they advise those who drink less to increase their intake.
American Journal of Epidemiology February 1, 2005;161(3):228-38
Science Daily January 26, 2005
The above report really stops short of recommending drinking, as even researchers just aren't sure how alcohol, or some other unknown factor, provides such benefits. I'm quite skeptical about this finding as well, and absolutely do not advise using this study to justify drinking alcohol as it has many directly negative neurological complications.
As I've said before about studies touting all the "benefits" of drinking red wine, I personally do not advocate drinking red wine, there are many health experts that feel it is fine in moderation, but I am not so certain about this hypothesis. This is largely because I am convinced the alcohol itself is actually a neurotoxin which means it can poison your brain. Additionally, it has the strong potential to seriously disrupt your delicate hormone balance.
In fact, drinking alcohol shouldn't even be an issue, considering there are far healthier, safer and proven ways to fight dementia and Alzheimer's disease at your fingertips:
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