Alcohol against Alzheimer's: useful, but in moderation and on time
One of the largest and longest-running studies of the effects of alcohol on the health of older people has shown that moderate alcohol consumption significantly reduces the risk of dementia, according to Solway-Pharma.
The results of the study are presented at the conference of the Alzheimer's Association in Vienna.
"The study confirms previous evidence that moderate alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of dementia in middle–aged people," says Piero Antuono, professor of neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa. "However, the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is higher in people over 65 years of age."
During the study, scientists observed 3,069 people 75 years and older for 6 years. It turned out that for those who consumed alcohol moderately (8-14 servings per week), the risk of dementia was 37% lower compared to subjects who led a sober lifestyle. The results did not depend on which alcoholic beverage the study participants preferred.
However, in people with mild cognitive impairment, which often precedes Alzheimer's disease, alcohol consumption only accelerated the development of dementia, i.e. if the disease has already begun, no amount of alcohol will be able to slow it down. According to the study, the risk of dementia doubled in subjects with mild cognitive impairment who consumed more than 14 servings of alcohol per week.
As in many other studies, scientists cannot say with certainty whether the risk of Alzheimer's disease decreases under the influence of alcohol or any other lifestyle-related factors (level of education, social activity, depression, cardiovascular diseases).
"Almost all studies examining the relationship between alcohol intake and dementia are observational, i.e. it is impossible to say with certainty that there is a causal relationship between these two factors," says Kaycee Sink, a geriatrician at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center at the University School of Medicine and one of the authors of the study.
However, it is known that alcohol can increase the content of "good" cholesterol in the blood and interfere with platelet adhesion, which indirectly protects against dementia. In addition, animal studies have shown that alcohol promotes the release of acetylcholine, a substance necessary for memory, and some compounds contained in red wine, in particular resveratrol, theoretically protect the brain from aging.
"Presumably, the effect of red wine is mediated by polyphenols and antioxidants, which are part of the grape skin remaining after juicing," explains Mark Sager, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and director of the Alzheimer's Institute in Wisconsin, "but on the other hand, studies show that grape juice has a similar effect juice."
"Most studies of the effect of alcohol on health eventually produce a two–horned curve – that is, the risk is increased for people who do not drink at all and for alcoholics, and for people who drink alcohol moderately, it decreases," comments William Thies, head of the scientific and medical department of the Alzheimer's Association.
And yet today doctors are in no hurry to recommend non-drinking elderly people to drink more alcohol, fearing the development of alcohol dependence in them.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru15.07.2009