Although heavy drinking has well do...

Although heavy drinking has well documented negative results on the brain, some epidemiologic studies have hinted modest cognitive benefits from moderate alcohol intake, defined as up to couple alcoholic beverages per day. It has been difficult to assess the result of alcohol consumption on cognition accurately because of the potential for confounding in retrospective studies, as well as variation in the amount of alcohol build in different types of beverages. Using a cohort of choiceed participants in the longitudinal Nurses' Health research Stampfer and colleagues examined the relationship through the whole extent of time between moderate alcohol consumption and scores onward standardized measures of cognitive function.

The contemplation population consisted of women who were 70 years or older in 1995 All had enlisted in the Nurses' Health subject of attention in 1976 and subsequently complet six dietary questionnaires between 1980 and 1998 including questions about oftenness and type of alcohol use. investigation participants were classified into three arranges based on self-reported average daily alcohol consumption: those who did not drink, those who drank up to 15 g (approximately united drink) daily, and those who drank 15 to 30 g (one to sum of two units drinks) per day. Participants were exclud if they reported consuming more than sum of two units drinks daily, if consumption varied at more than one drink daily onward different questionnaires, or if they reported use of antidepressant medications.

Of the 11102 eligible participants, 51 percent drank no alcohol, 44 percent consum les than single in kind drink daily, and 5 percent consum single in kind to two drinks daily. All participants underwent standardized telephone assessments of cognitive status and verbal memory in 1995 and 1997 on specially trained nurses who were blinded to the women's drinking habits. Mean scores for cognitive criterions in each group were calculated using linear regression moulds to control for potential confounder so as age, education level, and physical activity; medical moot points such as diabetes and hypertension; and use of hormone therapy, nutritional complements and tobacco.

Nondrinkers and women who consum common to two drinks daily had similar average cognitive scores. Women who consum les than common drink daily had higher average scores, and their risk of being classified as cognitively impaired (based forward a predefined cutoff score) was 20 percent les than that of nondrinkers. These women also were les likely than nondrinkers to experience a decline in cognitive scores after couple years. The type of alcoholic beverage consum did not affect the results

The authors gather that women who consume les than single drink daily have a decreased risk of cognitive decline in later life. They discuss possible mechanisms for a protective purport of low-level alcohol consumption, including modifying lipid profiles and preventing following vascular dementia. Noting that they may not have accounted for all possible confounder however, the authors advise caution in recommending moderate alcohol consumption as preventive medicine.

KENNETH W LIN, MD

Stampfer MJ et al. tenors of moderate alcohol consumption forward cognitive function in women. N Engl J M January 20 2005;352:245-53

EDITOR'S NOTE: Given the impracticality of using alcoholic beverages in a randomized controll clinical trial, it is unlikely that we will till doomsday know conclusively if any amount of alcohol consumption is serviceable for the mind, and if to such a degree how much. As pointed public in an accompanying editorial, (1) the observational design of the investigation leaves open the possibility that women with better cognitive scores were more likely to squander moderate amounts of alcohol, rather than the other way around. It would be premature to commend that women who are nondrinkers start consuming alcohol to obviate dementia. On the other hand, physicians can have feeling reasonably reassured from this investigation that their female patients who drink up to sum of two units alcoholic beverages per day will be no worse facing and may possibly fare better, than their nondrinking peers--KWL

REFERENCE

(1) Evans DA, Bienias JL Alcohol consumption and cognition. N Engl J M 2005;352:289-90

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