While some research has indicated that moderate alcohol consumption might offer protection against dementia, a study in 2024 presented a different perspective.
The ‘J-shaped’ theory of alcohol consumption suggests that both abstainers and heavy drinkers face a higher risk of dementia than those who consume alcohol in light to moderate amounts.
In the UK, moderate drinking is defined as about 14 units per week. In contrast, the CDC in the US recommends one drink per day for women and two for men to be considered moderate drinking.
The argument for light alcohol consumption potentially reducing dementia risk hinges on the associated health benefits of low alcohol intake, such as the belief that daily consumption of red wine may improve cholesterol levels.
However, the 2024 study contested this idea, concluding that no amount of alcohol is ‘safe’ with respect to dementia specifically.
To better understand the effects of alcohol on brain health, researchers examined data from the UK Biobank, analyzing 313,958 white, British drinkers. These individuals, who were free from dementia between 2006 and 2010, tracked their drinking habits during this period.
By 2021, researchers had documented any cases of dementia among these nearly 314,000 participants.
The study identified an ‘abstainer bias,’ noting that former drinkers who stopped due to health issues were often grouped with lifelong abstainers. This bias contributed to the previously observed J-shaped curve, which initially declines before rising.
“Our findings suggested that there was no safe level of alcohol consumption for dementia,” the study concluded.
In light of these findings, Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, emphasized the harmful impacts of alcohol on the brain, despite not being involved in the study.
“Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant drug which causes brain atrophy. Patients with dementia have baseline suppressed nervous system function with atrophy,” he explained to Medical News Today.
Additionally, psychiatrist Ozan Toy cautioned: “Alcohol can negatively impact the brain’s memory center known as the hippocampus by causing cell atrophy and by inhibiting the growth of new neurons via a process called neurogenesis.
“We also know that chronic alcohol use can lead to depletion of an important B-vitamin, thiamine, which is also really important for memory and cognition.”