Moderate or no alcohol consumption associated with risk of mild cognitive impairment

Of alcohol consumption at zero frequency, or otherwise reach several times a month, in mid-life, seems associated with a higher risk of developing mild cognitive decline later compared to a slight risk consumption, suggests a study Swedish- Finnish.

This work goes against the findings of a study, published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology", suggesting that drinkers show better cognitive performance. They abound, however, in line with previous studies suggesting that mild to moderate alcohol consumption would have a protective effect on the brain, compared to a total abstinence or heavy drinking.

Tiia Anttila, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues observed 1,018 men and women aged 65 to 79 years, including alcohol consumption was estimated on average 23 years ago, and whose physical and mental health had been regularly assessed between these two dates.

Participants did not consume alcohol at all, as well as those consuming alcohol frequently (several times a month) in the middle of their lives have a two times higher risk of mild cognitive impairment after age 65, compared to participants drank some alcohol (less than once per month).

The risk of dementia is in turn influenced by the presence of a particular form of the gene coding for apolipoprotein E, 4 allele, already known as a risk factor for dementia because it predisposes to the disease of Alzheimer.

Thus, only the carriers of the ApoE4 allele have an increased risk of dementia with increasing alcohol consumption, suggesting that this gene enhances the harmful effects of alcohol on the brain.

Compared to non-carriers who never drink, the risk for carriers of the ApoE4 who never drink was not different

Wearing the non this gene does not appear to affect the risk of cognitive decline weighing on people who never drink alcohol. However, this risk is multiplied by 2.3 for carriers of the ApoE4 allele rarely drank and 3.6 for those drinking more frequently, compared to non-carriers of the gene with a similar alcohol.

In the latter, the alcohol did not appear related to the risk of dementia.

Given the adverse effects of alcohol depend on the amount consumed, the authors warn people that increase their alcohol consumption hoping to protect the appearance of dementia that this behavior can lead to the opposite effect from those anticipated.