Dose‐Related Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Cognitive Function in Advanced Age: Results of a Multicenter Survey

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is associated with increased prevalence of cognitive dysfunction among older subjects; however, a daily alcohol consumption of less than 40 g for women and 80 g or less for men might be associated with a decreased probability of cognitive impairment. This possible protective effect of alcohol consumption should be further assessed by prospective studies.

Wine consumption, cognitive function and dementias – A relationship?

“…Subsequent studies have also independently assessed the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive function and have affirmed the observations of Zuccala et al (2001) but have also provided more detailed data [30,41,[60][61][62][63][64][65]. For example, both current moderate alcohol consumption and cumulative lifetime alcohol consumption are associated with better cognitive function compared to abstainers.…”

“…While the literature consistently defines light to moderate consumption as 20 to 40 g ethanol per day [42,43], several studies have defined moderate consumption as up to 80 g ethanol per day for men [41,44], which may reflect country and cultural differences in alcohol consumption; 10 g ethanol approximates one drink or 100 mL wine. For amounts above moderate consumption the risk of alcohol-related diseases increases dose-dependently [45].…”

“…Prior to a study by Zuccala et al (2001), there was conflicting evidence on the relationship between alcohol consumption per se and cognitive function [35,41,[49][50][51][52][53][54][55]. Zuccala et al (2001) analysed the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment in 15,807 hospitalized older patients who were enrolled in an Italian multicentre pharmacoepidemiology survey [41].…”

“…Over the last decade, evidence has accumulated which suggests that this J-shaped relationship could also be extended to the risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementias such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia [35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. Mild cognitive dysfunction or impairment is an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease.…”

“…Zuccala et al (2001) analysed the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment in 15,807 hospitalized older patients who were enrolled in an Italian multicentre pharmacoepidemiology survey [41]. The amount of alcohol use was recorded as daily wine units (100 mL or approximately 10 g ethanol), because wine, particularly with meals, represents the major form of alcohol consumption in this Italian population.…”