Alcohol Intake and Dementia in China

A number of prospective studies from Europe and the United States have shown an inverse association between alcohol intake and the development of dementia. To determine whether this association exists among the Chinese, researchers assessed dementia (using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and alcohol use in 2632 people aged 60 and older from 6 communities in China. Over 2 years of follow-up, 121 subjects developed dementia.

• In analyses adjusted for potential confounders (e.g., age, education, smoking), light-to-moderate drinkers* had a significantly lower risk of dementia than nondrinkers (odds ratios [ORs] 0.6 for Alzheimer’s disease and 0.3 for vascular dementia).
• Heavier drinkers had a nonsignificantly higher risk (ORs comparing heavier drinkers with nondrinkers: 1.4 for Alzheimer’s disease and 1.7 for vascular dementia).
• Compared with nondrinkers, light-to-moderate drinkers who drank wine had a lower risk of overall dementia (OR 0.7), but light-to-moderate drinkers who drank beer had a higher risk (OR 2.5).

Comments:

Like recent European and US studies on alcohol and dementia, this study found lower risks of dementia in light-to-moderate drinkers. This study also reported a tendency for an increased dementia risk in heavier drinkers. The marked differences between beer and wine drinkers may be due to confounding by unmeasured lifestyle factors, especially the total amount of alcohol consumed and/or the pattern of drinking.

R. Curtis Ellison, MD

Reference:

Deng J, Zhou DHD, Li J, et al. A 2-year follow-up study of alcohol consumption and risk of dementia. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. Available at: doi:10.1016/j.clineuro.2005.06.005. Accessed December 28, 2005.