It turns out that people who don't drink alcohol are more likely to develop dementia. The researchers conducted an in-depth analysis and determined whether alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing dementia.
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The study included 24,478 people with a mean age at baseline of 71.8 years. Among them, 58.3% were women, and 54.2% continued to drink alcohol during the study.
The analysis found that the risk of developing dementia was higher among individuals who abstained from drinking alcohol than among those who consumed alcohol occasionally, to a mild or even moderate degree. In general, men had a higher risk of dementia than women. At the same time, women did not find any association between alcohol consumption and dementia at all.
The results of the study show that abstinence from alcohol may increase the risk of dementia. In addition, there was no evidence that the amount of alcohol consumed affects the risk of developing dementia. The researchers emphasize that their results should be coordinated with other studies that report links between moderate alcohol consumption and poor brain health or cancer.
The results of the current study are not intended to encourage alcohol consumption and instead question whether the current recommendations to reduce alcohol consumption in people over 60 are an effective approach to preventing the development of dementia.
Dementia typically affects older and geriatric patients. This condition is classified by numerous symptoms, some of which include declines in cognition, memory, attention, communication, reasoning, and visual perception. Dementia impairs the patient's quality of life and places a heavy physical, psychological, social and economic burden on their loved ones or society.