A study examining the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on Alzheimers disease risk show that light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimers, especially if you’re a non-smoking woman.
The study out of Spain compared the smoking and alcohol consumption habits of people with Alzheimers disease to their unaffected relatives. Surprisingly (to me) researchers found that smoking alone had no impact on Alzheimers disease risk. On the other hand, people who consumed alcohol had a lower risk of Alzheimers disease than people who had never had a drink.
In fact, in women, the Alzheimers disease risk was inversely proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed and the length of time consuming alcohol. In other words, women who drank more, or had been drinking alcohol longer had lower AD risk. The biggest decrease in AD risk was seen in non-smoking women who consumed alcohol.
The results of this study indicate a need to further investigate the interaction between gender, smoking and alcohol consumption in the development of Alzheimers. While alcohol may reduce the risk of developing AD, excessive alcohol consumption can have numerous negative impacts on your health, including serious liver disease and nutritional problems. As with most things in life, moderation is key!
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References:
- García, A et al. Isolated and joint effects of tobacco and alcohol consumption on risk of Alzheimer’s disease. J Alzheimers Dis 20:2 (May 2010), p 577-586.
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More from Dr Kristie McNealy:
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Tags: Alcohol and Alzheimer's, Alzheimers Disease, Preventing Alzheimer's
