Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Study: Alcohol consumption and related behavior linked to cognitive impairment
By Staff Writer
A new study may have identified early risk factors for dementia that are linked to alcohol consumption.
Past studies have shown that mild to moderate alcohol consumption may protect the brain from dementia or cognitive impairment later in life. However, much of this research was conducted on subjects that were older in age at the start of the follow-up.
The new study, which was published in the December issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, corrected this problem utilizing a follow-up of more than two decades. Based on this research, Finnish scientists found that individuals that abstained from alcohol and those who consumed large amounts of the substance are at greater risk for cognitive impairment than light drinkers.
Drinking large amounts of alcohol, such as a bottle of wine, at a single occasion on a monthly basis is a independent risk factor for cognitive impairment, based on the study's findings. In addition, passing out due to heavy drinking on one occasion was also shown to increase the chance of impairment.
Based on the study's results, researchers believe that the amount of alcohol an individual drinks, in addition to the pattern by which it is consumed, may affect the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.
