title: Alcohol drinking and cognitive functions: findings from the Cardiovascular Risk Factors Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moderate alcohol drinking is suggested to be beneficial for cognitive functions, but the results of previous studies have varied greatly. Little is known about the effects of midlife alcohol drinking on the cognitive functions later in life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were derived from random, population-based samples studied in Eastern Finland in 1972, 1977, 1982, or 1987. A total of 1,341 participants were reexamined in 1998, after an average follow-up period of 21 years, at ages 65-79 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants who did not drink alcohol at midlife had a poorer performance in episodic memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function in late life as compared with infrequent and frequent drinkers, adjusted for sociodemographic and vascular factors. Also late-life nondrinkers had poorer psychomotor speed and executive function. These findings were evident especially among nonsmokers. Further, no interactions between apolipoprotein E4 and alcohol or sex and alcohol were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol drinking both at midlife and later is favorably related to the function in several cognitive domains, including episodic memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function, in late life. However, it is not clear whether the association is causal, what is the possible mechanism, and what would be a safe limit of drinking for the best cognitive function.
authors.affiliation: Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. tiia.ngandu@ki.se
authors.forename: Tiia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ngandu
authors.forename: Eeva-Liisa
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Helkala
authors.forename: Hilkka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soininen
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winblad
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuomilehto
authors.forename: Aulikki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nissinen
authors.forename: Miia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivipelto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015984:Causality; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*