Wake Forest University researchers say that older women who drink a moderate amount of alcohol each day may be helping to keep their minds sharp and free from the effects of dementia. "In our study, older women who drank moderate amounts of alcohol tended to perform better on tests for cognitive function and dementia," said lead researcher Mark Espeland. "Most of these women drank one or two drinks per day." The research, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that women who reported having one or more alcohol drinks daily scored higher on tests of cognitive function than women who reported drinking less. Cognitive function includes concentration, language, memory and abstract reasoning. "Women who reported drinking one or more drinks a day had a 40 percent lower risk of significant declines in cognitive function over time, compared to women who reported no alcohol intake," said Espeland.
The researchers investigated cognitive function, and performed other tests to detect mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia. Dementia occurs when memory, judgment and thinking ability decline substantially to the point of interfering with basic day-to-day activities. "There are a number of reasons one might expect moderate alcohol intake to be beneficial," Espeland said. "Some cognitive problems are due to strokes and blood vessels in the brain becoming blocked, and alcohol may reduce the development of blood clots and increase blood flow, thereby improving cognition."
Espeland said alcohol also tends to increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol, which might also reduce the risk for narrowed vessels in the brain. In addition, alcohol may decrease the formation of plaque that is associated with Alzheimer's disease.
"My sense is that for older women who choose to drink - and are not restricted from drinking for medical reasons - moderate alcohol intake is not harmful for cognition and may provide some benefits by reducing the risk of cognitive decline. Until we better understand the reasons why alcohol consumption is associated with better cognitive functioning, however, these results on their own are not a reason for people who don't drink to start or for those who drink less to increase their intake," concluded Espeland.
