Moderate alcohol use and binge drinking in late-life and heavier use earlier in life increase risk of cognitive decline, according to two studies presented Wednesday in Vancouver at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
Some previous data have indicated that light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
"Certainly no one should start drinking in order to reduce Alzheimer’s risk, as these two new reports attest," William Thies, PhD, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, said in a news release. "We need to know more about what factors actually raise and lower risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. To do that, we need longer-term studies in larger and more diverse populations, and we need more research funding to make that happen."
In one study, Tina Hoang, MSPH, of NCIRE/The Veterans Health Research Institute and the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues followed more than 1,300 women ages 65 and older for 20 years. They measured frequency of current and past alcohol use at the beginning, midpoint (years 6 and 8) and late phases (years 10 and 16) of the study.
The researchers assessed participants at the end of the study for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. At baseline, 40.6% were nondrinkers, 50.4% were light drinkers (0 to 7 drinks a week), and 9% were moderate drinkers (7 to 14 drinks a week). Heavier drinkers were excluded.
The researchers found that women who reported drinking more at some point in the past than at the beginning of the study were at 30% increased risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Moderate drinkers at baseline or at midpoint had similar risk of cognitive impairment to nondrinkers, but moderate drinkers in the late phase of the study were roughly 60% more likely to develop cognitive impairment. Women who started drinking during the course of the study had a 200% increased risk of cognitive impairment.
"In this group of older women, moderate alcohol consumption was not protective," Hoang said. "We found that heavier use earlier in life, moderate use in late-life and transitioning to drinking in late-life were associated with an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that alcohol use in late-life may not be beneficial for cognitive function in older women.
"It may be that the brains of oldest old adults are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, but it is also possible that factors associated with changing alcohol use related to coping or loss could be involved. Clinicians should carefully assess their older patients for both how much they drink and any changes in patterns of alcohol use."
Binge drinking and cognition
Iain Lang, PhD, of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of data from 5,075 participants ages 65 and older in the Health and Retirement Study, a biennial, longitudinal, nationally representative survey of U.S. adults ages 50 and older, to assess the effects of binge drinking in older people on cognition and mood.
The researchers collected baseline data in 2002 and followed participants for eight years.
Consumption of four or more drinks on one occasion was considered binge drinking, which 8.3% of men and 1.5% of women reported doing on a monthly basis and 4.3% of men and 0.5% of women reported doing twice a month or more.
The researchers found that participants who reported heavy episodic drinking once a month were 62% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest decline in cognitive function, and were 27% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest amount of memory decline.
Participants reporting heavy episodic drinking twice per month or more were 147% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest decline in cognitive function, and were 149% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest amount of decline in memory.
Outcomes were similar in men and women when analyzed separately. Lang said the differences remained even after the researchers took into account factors such as age and level of education, which are believed to be related to cognitive decline.
"Older people and their physicians should be aware that binge drinking may increase their risk of experiencing cognitive decline and [be] encouraged to change their drinking behaviors accordingly," Lang said.
Also, he added, "policymakers and public health specialists should know that binge drinking is not just a problem among adolescents and younger adults. We have to start thinking about older people when we are planning interventions to reduce binge drinking."
Some previous data have indicated that light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
"Certainly no one should start drinking in order to reduce Alzheimer’s risk, as these two new reports attest," William Thies, PhD, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, said in a news release. "We need to know more about what factors actually raise and lower risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. To do that, we need longer-term studies in larger and more diverse populations, and we need more research funding to make that happen."
In one study, Tina Hoang, MSPH, of NCIRE/The Veterans Health Research Institute and the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues followed more than 1,300 women ages 65 and older for 20 years. They measured frequency of current and past alcohol use at the beginning, midpoint (years 6 and 8) and late phases (years 10 and 16) of the study.
The researchers assessed participants at the end of the study for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. At baseline, 40.6% were nondrinkers, 50.4% were light drinkers (0 to 7 drinks a week), and 9% were moderate drinkers (7 to 14 drinks a week). Heavier drinkers were excluded.
The researchers found that women who reported drinking more at some point in the past than at the beginning of the study were at 30% increased risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Moderate drinkers at baseline or at midpoint had similar risk of cognitive impairment to nondrinkers, but moderate drinkers in the late phase of the study were roughly 60% more likely to develop cognitive impairment. Women who started drinking during the course of the study had a 200% increased risk of cognitive impairment.
"In this group of older women, moderate alcohol consumption was not protective," Hoang said. "We found that heavier use earlier in life, moderate use in late-life and transitioning to drinking in late-life were associated with an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that alcohol use in late-life may not be beneficial for cognitive function in older women.
"It may be that the brains of oldest old adults are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, but it is also possible that factors associated with changing alcohol use related to coping or loss could be involved. Clinicians should carefully assess their older patients for both how much they drink and any changes in patterns of alcohol use."
Binge drinking and cognition
Iain Lang, PhD, of the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of data from 5,075 participants ages 65 and older in the Health and Retirement Study, a biennial, longitudinal, nationally representative survey of U.S. adults ages 50 and older, to assess the effects of binge drinking in older people on cognition and mood.
The researchers collected baseline data in 2002 and followed participants for eight years.
Consumption of four or more drinks on one occasion was considered binge drinking, which 8.3% of men and 1.5% of women reported doing on a monthly basis and 4.3% of men and 0.5% of women reported doing twice a month or more.
The researchers found that participants who reported heavy episodic drinking once a month were 62% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest decline in cognitive function, and were 27% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest amount of memory decline.
Participants reporting heavy episodic drinking twice per month or more were 147% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest decline in cognitive function, and were 149% more likely to be in the group experiencing the highest amount of decline in memory.
Outcomes were similar in men and women when analyzed separately. Lang said the differences remained even after the researchers took into account factors such as age and level of education, which are believed to be related to cognitive decline.
"Older people and their physicians should be aware that binge drinking may increase their risk of experiencing cognitive decline and [be] encouraged to change their drinking behaviors accordingly," Lang said.
Also, he added, "policymakers and public health specialists should know that binge drinking is not just a problem among adolescents and younger adults. We have to start thinking about older people when we are planning interventions to reduce binge drinking."
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