Alcohol and Dementia What is the Link? A Systematic Review

This suggests that people under 65 might be less equipped to handle stressors like light pollution, possibly because young people are more likely to carry the APOE gene than older people. The exact reason why light pollution at night is linked to greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown. While genetics play a key role in health outcomes, we’re increasingly coming to understand how diet is an important factor in combating many age-related health conditions and diseases. However, he added that “multi-year heat stress will likely exacerbate underlying health conditions, such as kidney diseases”, but that more research needs to be done to determine the long-term effects.

5. Statistical analysis

Our findings revealed the moderating effects of social support on widowhood-related cognitive impairments among hearing-impaired older adults in China. Specifically, informal social support from family and relatives can significantly reduce the risk of widowhood-related cognitive impairment. In our study, having one or more children and having a high level of kinship connections reduced the likelihood of widowhood-related cognitive impairment in older adults with hearing impairment, particularly the risk of mild cognitive impairment.

• Sinvani said the “jury is still out on all the benefits or risks” of red wine, and recommendations can vary from person to person.
• SAN ANTONIO — The same hormone that keeps people from overeating and gaining weight may also protect older adults from developing Alzheimer’s disease.
• Compared to the rest of the U.K., Biobank participants are generally healthier, less likely to have obesity, less likely to smoke, less likely to experience socioeconomic deprivation, and more prone to consume higher amounts of tea.
• Regarding social participation, 3.03% and 4.84% of older adults engaged in physical activities, such as Tai Chi Chuan and square dancing, respectively.
• Third, smoking status, AUD, and other variables were derived from self-reported medical history, which may introduce uncertainty about the actual status and disease and potential recall bias or misclassification.

Effects of excessive alcohol consumption

• “Using the UK as an example, we have set the stage for a globally-complete analysis of climate and health,” Mr Mitchell continued.
• Drinking alcohol is linked to reduced volume of the brain’s white matter, which helps to transmit signals between different brain regions.
• Educational attainment was notably low, with approximately 50% of older adults having no formal education.
• Subsidiary analyses examining potential bias due to differential misclassification of dementia suggested our main findings on the association of alcohol consumption with dementia to be robust (appendix table S7).
• Consequently, they have a mitigating effect on widowhood-related cognitive decline.

As an adolescent, hearing loss, traumatic braininjury, hypertension, alcohol consumption, and BMI more than or equal to 30 are all riskfactors. Later in life, additional risk factors include smoking, depression, social isolation,physical inactivity, diabetes, and poor air pollution. New research published in The Lancet Public Health journal found alcohol use disorders to be one of the most vital avoidable risk factors for the onset of all types of dementia, particularly early-onset dementia.

Midlife alcohol consumption

ARD is a type of cognitive impairment that occurs as a result of heavy alcohol consumption over a long period. “Alcoholic dementia” is an older term commonly used to describe the medical condition now known as alcohol-related dementia or alcohol-induced major neurocognitive disorder. These terms are used interchangeably and describe a severe form of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD). In summary, neuropsychological profiles differ between people with healthy aging, AUD, WKS, Alzheimer’s disease, and other subtypes of dementias. Although AUD, WKS, and Alzheimer’s disease all affect memory processes, the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on mnemonic functions are greater than those observed in AUD and WKS.

A review of clinical and epidemiological data suggests that criteria and nomenclature of dementia subtypes need improvement. Neuropsychological and biological markers that can differentiate dementia subtypes are in progress but currently limited. Whether alcohol misuse contributes to an added burden on pre-existing Alzheimer’s disease remains an open and ongoing research question, which may be approached in animal models. Indeed, basic science strategies link between alcohol and dementia that can control alcohol exposure may help clarify controversies, including whether alcohol in the context of genetically induced Alzheimer’s disease pathology changes the extent, distribution, or signaling pathways of relevant biomarkers. Since we excluded gender- and beverage-specific studies, no conclusions can be drawn concerning different effects for men or women or effects of specific ingredients of alcoholic beverages other than alcohol.

The Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) is a single insurer administered by the Korean government. The NHIS provides a free biennial cardiovascular health examination to all insured individuals aged 40 years and older. This study was approved by the institutional review board of the Samsung https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Medical Center, which waived the need for informed consent because the data were publicly available and anonymized under confidentiality guidelines. This study was designed and conducted according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) reporting guideline.

I’m a doctor — here are 9 simple ways to reduce your risk of dementia

To retrieve papers for the purpose of this review, the search terms (alcohol OR alcoholism) AND (dementia OR brain damage OR brain injury OR cognitive impairment) were used as keywords in the Medline and PsycINFO databases. Additional terms included Wernicke’s encephalopathy, Korsakoff, and Alcohol Amnestic Disorder. First, although we employed regression analysis on pooled cross-sectional data from 2011, 2014, and 2018 to examine the relationship between widowhood and cognitive impairment, causal inferences cannot be strictly drawn from these analyses. Second, while there were differences in widowhood status over the long and short term, this study could not determine the impact of the duration of widowhood on cognitive impairment among older adults. Thirdly, the data on hearing impairment, being sourced from self-reports, may introduce certain biases.

Alcohol Use Disorder and Dementia: A Review

How we reviewed this article: