Light alcohol drinking may protect against cognitive impairment

Alcohol consumption in high amounts appears to negatively influence cognition in older adults, whereas light drinking may have protective effects, as reported in a study.

The study used data from the shared database of the China Health and Nutrition Survey in 1997 and included 1,926 individuals aged ≥45 years who were followed up through 2006. All participants completed a questionnaire that assessed the frequency, amount, and type of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol consumption was classified into none, light (≤84 g/wk), light-to-moderate (84.01–168 g/wk), moderate-to-heavy (168.01–336 g/wk), and heavy (≥336.01 g/wk) categories in men; and none, light (<42 g/wk), and moderate (≥42 g/wk) categories in women.

Cognitive function was measured using a subset of items from the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, with the lowest quintile designated as the cutoff point for cognitive impairment.

The mean age of the population was 56.91 years, and 51.66 percent were men. There were sex-specific differences observed in drinking behaviours and cognitive scores (p<0.001). Specifically, cognitive impairment occurred in 135 men and 237 women.

Compared with light drinking, heavy drinking and nondrinking conferred an increase in the risk of cognitive impairment in men (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.19, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.59–3.00 and aOR, 1.54, 95 percent CI, 1.21–1.96, respectively; p<0.001).

In women, on the other hand, both abstinence and moderate drinking were associated with a heightened risk of cognitive impairment relative to light drinking (aOR, 1.54, 95 percent CI, 1.16–2.03 and aOR, 1.75, 95 percent CI, 1.08–2.85, respectively; p<0.001).