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A 2-year follow-up study of alcohol consumption and risk of dementia.

Deng J, Zhou DH, Li J, Wang YJ, Gao C, Chen M

2nd Department of Neurology, Research Institute of Surgery and Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China.

BACKGROUND: This report focused on investigating the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia in elderly people through prospective studies. METHODS: We conducted a 2-year follow-up study of elderly people from six communities in Chongqing, China. Dementia was detected using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R). The relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia was investigated using multiple logistic regression models, adjusting for the potential confounders age, sex, educational level and cigarette smoking. RESULTS: Light-to-moderate drinking was associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia compared with non-drinking. Excessive drinking was related to a higher risk of dementia. The effect of light-to-moderate drinking seemed most prominent among vascular dementia, 0.63 (0.55-0.72) for Alzheimer's disease, 0.31 (0.19-0.51) for vascular dementia and 0.45 (0.12-1.69) for other dementia. In a model adjusting for confounding variables, a light-to-moderate intake of beer was associated with a significantly higher risk of dementia than a non-drinker of beer. For wine, a significantly lower risk of dementia existed for a light-to-moderate drinker. CONCLUSIONS: Light-to-moderate drinking was associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia compared with a non-drinker.

Published 28 April 2006 in Clin Neurol Neurosurg, 108(4): 378-83.
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