Scientists claim that drinking beer every night may lower your risk of dementia.
Over 25,000 individuals over the age of 60 were studied by Australian researchers in order to discern a correlation between drinking habits and rates of dementia.
People who drank the equivalent of two pints per day had a third less chance of acquiring memory-robbing illness than teetotalers, according to the study.
According to the findings, non-drinkers were most at risk. They were about a fifth more likely to develop dementia than the best boozy drinkers, who consumed at least three pints each night.
According to the study, stopping drinking appears to provide no protective effects against dementia.
Experts, on the other hand, advised that while moderate alcohol use might be beneficial in delaying the disease, excessive drinking is harmful.
Dr. Louise Mewton and colleagues said that reducing the number of risky habits that could contribute to dementia is ‘fundamental’ in light of global rates which are projected to triple over the next 30 years.
Researchers predicted that if risk factors were eliminated, four in 10 dementia cases worldwide might be prevented or delayed.
Being obese is one of the most significant risk factors.
New data from 15 old studies has been gathered by the University of New South Wales.
The researchers studied 24,478 people aged 60 and over with dementia rates.
The participants were then sorted into five different groups: those who don’t drink at all, those who only drink occasionally (1.3g of ethanol per day), light to moderate drinkers (1.3g to 25g per day), moderate to heavy drinkers (25g to 45 g per day) and finally, heavy drinkers (more than 45 g per day).
To put this into perspective, a pint of beer has 16 grams of ethanol, while a standard glass of wine contains 18g.
Out of all the participants that were studied for an extensive 40-year time period, not a single one started off with dementia.
According to the findings, published in the journal Addiction, 2124 individuals were diagnosed with dementia during the study.
Occasional drinkers and light to moderate drinkers were 22 percent less likely to develop dementia than teetotalers.
Those who consumed up to two-and-a-half pints of alcohol a day had a 38 percent reduced risk of being diagnosed with the disease, compared to those who abstained from drinking.
Compared to non-drinkers, even the heaviest drinkers were 19% less likely to develop dementia.
The study also revealed that people who consumed 40g of ethanol each day, the equivalent of five units, had a decreased risk of dementia than those who had never drunk.
Dr. Mewton, a public health researcher said that not drinking alcohol is correlative to an increased chance of being diagnosed with dementia.
According to medical experts, moderate consumption of alcohol has the potential to prevent plaque from accumulating in the brain, which is a hallmark symptom of dementia.
It may also raise ‘good’ cholesterol and antioxidant-rich red wine may protect the heart, which both decrease dementia risk.
According to the researchers, their research is reliable and demonstrates the link between alcohol consumption and dementia rates worldwide.
They acknowledged, however, that the beverage intake was self-reported by participants, who are more likely to underestimate their intake than over-estimate it.
Logging the type of alcohol consumed was not done in this study. Some other research has found that select drinks like wine may safeguard against dementia.
However, the data showed few people who excessively drink alcohol, and are believe to be at a higher risk for developing dementia.
UK health officials say that consuming no more than 14 units of alcohol per week is best for Britons. This converts to around six pints of beer or ten small glasses of wine.
Long-term excessive alcohol use raises the danger of high blood pressure, strokes, liver disease, and some malignancies, as well as dementia.
Dr. Sara Imarisio, who is the head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, explained that the results showed individuals who never drank alcohol had a higher chance of developing dementia than those who did drink.
“These results are consistent with previous research on this topic, which also show that heavy consumption of alcohol, as well as not drinking, seems linked to a higher risk of dementia.”
However, she stated that alcohol is damaging to brain cells, so binge drinking over time may “change the way our brains works,” change its form and structure and prevent the body from absorbing vitamins effectively.
Alcohol has been linked to dementia in previous studies because alcohol harms the brain.
Excessive drinking has also been linked to dementia, according to studies, more significantly than high blood pressure or diabetes.
Some studies, on the other hand, have produced contrary findings. Some articles reveal that heavy drinking is not associated with the condition, whereas others found that light to moderate drinkers had a lower risk than teetotalers.
Dementia has increased by a factor of three in the previous three decades, from 20.2 million people in 1990 to 57.4 million people in 2019.
The increase is predicted to continue — with experts estimating 152 million will be suffering from the memory-robbing condition by 2050.
Dementia affects approximately 900,000 people in the UK.
In the United States, 6.2 million people suffer from this memory-robbing condition.
There is, as of yet, no cure for the disease. This means that doctors can only prescribe drugs to lessen symptoms instead of eradicating them.
