title: Is there an association between low-to-moderate alcohol consumption and risk of cognitive decline?
abstract: The authors evaluated the association of low-to-moderate alcohol consumption with risk of cognitive decline in a census-based cohort study of men and women aged ≥55 years conducted in Zaragoza, Spain (1994-1999). Participants free of dementia at baseline (N = 3,888) were examined after 2.5 and 4.5 years of follow-up. Information on alcohol intake was collected with the EURODEM Risk Factors Questionnaire and the History and Aetiology Schedule. The study endpoint was severe cognitive decline, defined as loss of ≥1 point/year on the Mini-Mental State Examination or a diagnosis of incident dementia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV, Text Revision criteria). Compared with those for abstainers, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for severe cognitive decline for male drinkers of <12 g alcohol/day, drinkers of 12-24 g alcohol/day, and former drinkers were 0.61 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.31, 1.20), 1.19 (95% CI: 0.61, 2.32), and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.59, 1.82), respectively. The corresponding odds ratios for women were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.45, 1.72), 2.38 (95% CI: 0.98, 5.77), and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.48, 2.23). This study did not support the hypothesis that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption prevents cognitive decline. The inverse association between low-to-moderate alcohol intake and cognitive decline observed in other studies may have been due to inclusion of former drinkers in the abstainers reference category.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. elobo@unizar.es
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lobo
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dufouil
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marcos
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Quetglas
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saz
authors.forename: Eliseo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guallar
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lobo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking