Alcohol and dementia risk: A complex relationship

by MindTech

The hazard ratio for abstinence compared to consumption of 1–14 drinks per week for developing any kind of dementia was 1.47, after adjusting for confounders (extensive assessment of sociodemographic data and cardiovascular health data). Diagnosis was made through linkage with mental health services data set, mortality register and national hospital episode statistics. Previous research links light-moderate alcohol consumption to a
decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), however, prior studies based
on alcohol and dementia observational study designs may be biased due to unmeasured confounders
influencing both alcohol consumption and AD risk. The Lancet review by Livingston et al. [1] showed that the risks of heavy drinking and AUDs for dementia have been underestimated. The French hospital cohort study, indicating that AUDs represented the highest RR for dementia of all modifiable risk factors for dementia, determined that alcohol use needs to be taken into consideration by our health and social welfare systems [13].

Although alcohol has been popular for millennia, and dementia is increasingly prevalent, scientists are yet to understand the relationship between the two. Please do not post any personal information about yourself or anyone else, especially any health data or other sensitive data. If you do submit sensitive data, you consent to us handling https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcohol-allergies-symptoms-and-signs/ it in line with our comments policy. This article does not contain any studies with human participants (or animal) by any of the authors. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This was a secondary data analysis which was based on published aggregate data.

There may be a link between alcohol and dementia, but it’s complicated

Finally, as the addition of new analyses of existing and ongoing cohort studies will also be affected by the previously noted limitations, there is a need for future studies to address these limitations. While light or moderate drinking may protect against the development of Alzheimer’s disease, chronic alcohol use over an extended period can cause irreversible brain damage. This excessive consumption puts a person at risk of various brain diseases, including AD, stroke, and heart disease. In this study, abstainers with higher levels of illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity were those at highest risk of dementia.

Figure 2 shows scatter plots of the SNP-exposure and
SNP-outcome association estimates and their corresponding MR causal estimates. HRs (squares) were adjusted for age, sex, smoking status, regular exercise, area of residence, income, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia), systolic blood pressure, and laboratory results (fasting glucose levels, total cholesterol, and serum creatinine). All of the information gathered during the diagnostic process will also help them rule out other types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia.

Alcohol and the risk of dementia

A unit is dependent on the amount of pure alcohol in a given volume and can be calculated for specific drinks. You should discuss your intentions with your healthcare provider, who can work with you to help plan your next steps toward recovery. In addition to a physical examination and medical history, your healthcare provider may order diagnostic testing to help reach specific causes for dementia symptoms. Sometimes, physical changes such as movement disorders or coordination problems can help differentiate types of dementia. A diagnosis of dementia requires a comprehensive physical and psychological evaluation. This includes cognitive testing, which involves assessing thinking and problem-solving skills.

The researchers recommend that individuals with lower income or education levels might warrant additional screening by clinicians to evaluate their alcohol consumption and identify related conditions. High amounts of alcohol use are causal risk factors in the development of disease in the heart, liver, pancreas, and brain (including the brains of children in utero). When it comes to adults, excessive alcohol use can cause multiple well-defined brain issues ranging from short-term confusion to dementia. However, all prior findings have been conducted in observational studies
that assume no confounders influence the reported results and are limited by
selection bias, an underlying illness-death structure, and the heterogeneous nature
of the abstainer comparison group. Like randomized control trials, MR analyses
reduce confounding and reverse causality due to the random allocation of genotypes
from parents to offspring.

Associations between dimensions of alcohol use and specific brain functions

The brains of participants who were drinking three units of alcohol a day over the previous month had reductions in both white and gray matter, making their brains appear three and a half years older. For reference, one unit is considered a half pint of beer or a small glass of wine. ARD is a type of cognitive impairment that occurs as a result of heavy alcohol consumption over a long period. They may also require medications to help manage symptoms and conditions due to excessive alcohol use. Around one in six American adults drink to excess, and almost half of the United States population drank alcohol in 2020. Excessive drinking can cause long-term effects such as stroke, heart disease, and cancer.

• Lewy body dementia is another progressive type of dementia that causes an accumulation of proteins called Lewy bodies in various brain areas.
• In this post, we’ll explore the current science and some practical ideas on how to approach the topic.
• Another unknown is how alcohol influences dementia risk for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
• Public confirmation last year of Iowa’s high cancer incidence also converged with what most adult Iowans already knew in private.

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