title: Alcohol intake and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evidence suggests that consuming light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol reduces the risk of dementia and is associated better cognitive function and less cardiovascular disease, relative to those consuming no or heavy alcohol. There are only minimal data on the association between alcohol and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers. This study aimed to examine the association between alcohol and brain structure measured with MRI.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, high-resolution structural MRI was collected on 589 multi-ethnic community residents of New York aged ≥65 with available alcohol intake assessments via a food frequency questionnaire. Total brain volume (TBV), white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), and presence of infarcts were derived from MRI scans with established methods. We examined the association of alcohol intake with these imaging markers using regression models adjusted for demographic, clinical, and vascular risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to non-drinking, light-to-moderate total alcohol (b = 0.007, p = 0.04) or wine (b = 0.008, p = 0.05) intake, but not beer or liquor intake, was associated with larger TBV. Further analysis showed a dose-response association between alcohol (p-trend = 0.03) or wine (p-trend = 0.006) and TBV. Overall, alcohol intake was not associated with WMHV or brain infarcts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that among older adults in the community, light-to-moderate alcohol intake, in particular wine, is associated with larger TBV. These findings suggest that light to moderate alcohol consumption is potentially beneficial for brain aging, but replication is needed.
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: yg2121@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Yian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scarmeas
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Erica Eaton
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Short
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Luchsinger
authors.affiliation: Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DeCarli
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Yaakov
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Manly
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schupf
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mayeux
authors.affiliation: The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brickman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D001515:Beer; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000517:prevention & control; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014920:Wine
keywords: Alcohol; Brain atrophy; Cerebrovascular disease; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Neuroepidemiology; Nutrition