clinical focus
Drink to forget
Could your alcohol consumption
lead to dementia?
By Conor Burke
P
eople love it when new research
appears in the media with claims
that a few drinks a week or a nice
glass of red is better for our health than
abstinence. Some research even says that
light to moderate alcohol consumption is
good for your cognitive health, but is this
really the case?
This is a question that researchers will
aim to answer as one of 19 research grants
handed out recently by Dementia Australia.
Dr Lousie Mewton and her colleagues
at UNSW will be conducting a world-first
study of the relationship between alcohol
use and dementia.
“What we do know is that alcohol‑use
disorders or really chronic heavy
alcohol use is strongly associated with
dementia and cognitive decline,” Mewton
tells Aged Care Insite.
“But really moderate alcohol use, or light
to moderate alcohol use, hasn’t received
such attention.”
Mewton believes that previous studies in
this area – the ones that say a second glass
of red is good for us – are flawed.
“There’s a lot of problems with that
research. People who drink in light to
moderate patterns also tend to have better
education and higher socioeconomic
status. And we think it’s those things
that are driving that positive relationship
between alcohol use and cognition.
“So, we’re using fancy physical
techniques to drill down and have a look at
whether or not light to moderate alcohol
use is in fact detrimental,” she says.
One in seven Australians consume
alcohol at levels placing them at lifetime
risk of disease.
Mewton’s work is particularly important
for our ageing population, as studies show
that 20 per cent of people older than 60 in
Australia consume alcohol in a pattern that
puts them at risk. That’s five or more drinks
on an occasion.
But what’s possibly even more worrying
is that about 12 per cent of adults older
than 60 drink in that pattern daily or almost
daily. And that’s far more than any other
age group.
The current government guidelines on
alcohol consumption state that “to reduce
the risk of harm from alcohol-related
disease or injury for healthy men and
women, drink no more than 10 standard
drinks per week and no more than four
standard drinks on any one day”.
Mewton hopes her research will be able
to finesse these guidelines in relation to
cognitive risk. This will also help to combat
what Mewton sees as problematic drinking
patterns in our elder cohort.
“Most people continue drinking in
the same pattern that they’ve drunk
throughout their life,” she says.
“They might reduce or increase over the
lifespan, so what we’re seeing is the Baby
Boomer cohort was really the first cohort,
especially among women, who drank in
a more widespread, heavier fashion, and
more people were drinking in this heavier
fashion. And so, they continue to drink in
that pattern as they age.”
Mewton says research also shows that
about 30 per cent of older people who
drink in harmful ways actually begin doing
so over the age of 60.
“And the reasons for that are things like
social isolation, bereavement and as a
way to deal with the physical and mental
illnesses that come on in later life,” she says.
“At the moment, we don’t know the
number of standard drinks associated
with minimal dementia risk. So, one of the
outcomes from this study we’re hoping to
achieve will be the actual number of drinks
associated with minimal dementia risk.”
The chair of the Dementia Australia
Research Foundation, Professor Graeme
Samuel, says the grants provide support
to early and mid-career researchers who
want to make a difference in the field
of dementia.
“With the number of people living with
dementia expected to increase to almost
1.1 million by 2058, research into dementia
is now more urgent than ever.
“Further, the broad range of projects
supported – including nanotechnology, hip
fracture prevention, enhancing cognition
with exercise, and personalising care
through music – reflect the increased
diversity and quality of research in the
dementia space across Australia.
“This would not be possible without
the support of our most valued donors
and partnerships with the Dementia
Centre for Research Collaboration and
the Australian Association of Gerontology
Research Trust.” ■
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