NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Moderate alcohol consumption, which has been linked with lower a risk of cardiovascular disease, is now associated with a reduced risk of dementia in the elderly, according results of a Dutch population-based study published in the January 26th issue of The Lancet.
Dr. Monique M. B. Breteler and colleagues, from Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, collected data for 5395 subjects, 55 years of age and older, who participated in the Rotterdam Study. The researchers studied subjects for whom complete alcohol consumption data were available and who did not have dementia at baseline (1990 to 1993).
During an average follow-up of 6 years, 197 subjects developed dementia. Of these patients, 146 developed Alzheimer's disease, 29 developed vascular dementia, and 22 had other dementias, the researchers report.
Subjects who consumed a light-to-moderate amount of alcohol (one to three drinks per day) had a significantly lower risk of developing any dementia (hazard ratio 0.58), vascular dementia (hazard ratio 0.30) or Alzheimer's disease (hazard ratio 0.72), compared with subjects who never drank, Dr. Breteler's team found.
The type of alcohol consumed bore no relation to its protective effect, the Dutch researchers note.
"In recent years evidence has been accumulating that vascular factors may be involved in the cause of dementia, both vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Breteler said in a journal statement.
"Our findings lend further support to the vascular hypothesis of dementia. We saw some indication for a stronger relation with alcohol in persons with a genetically determined susceptibility for Alzheimer's disease. Our findings can help focus research into the specific mechanisms that underlie the development of dementing illnesses," Dr. Breteler added.
Lancet 2002;359:281-286.
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