If there’s any illness that scares people as much as cancer, it’s dementia. Now, in addition to research that shows alcohol consumption directly increases cancer risk, there‘s evidence that it can also increase someone’s risk for dementia.
Here’s a summary, courtesy of CNN:
There is no safe amount of alcohol when it comes to dementia, study finds
Once again, the new evidence runs smack into the many misconceptions in the public’s mind, most based on earlier studies that claimed to prove the exact opposite.
“Sure, drinking too much is probably bad for you,“ someone would observe, at nearly every cocktail party or drinking occasion, “but Science has proven that moderate drinking is actually good for your health.” And close with that smug expression a drinker gets when they think Science is on their side.
Except as often happens, newer research has come along to contradict the findings from earlier studies.
Some of that is due to a change in methodology. The new method of randomization, it turns out, “…reduces the chance of reverse causation, such as dementia processes influencing drinking rather than the reverse…”
Likewise, earlier studies “…focused on older people and didn’t differentiate between former drinkers and lifelong nondrinkers…” —and that probably skewed their conclusions.
Now, however, “The genetic analyses results (showed) that even small amounts of alcohol could increase dementia risk…”
A caveat: the authors are careful to point out that this study, despite its scope, doesn’t represent conclusive proof that alcohol use alone ‘causes’ dementia. Rather, it’s a correlation.
Still, as the physician advised, when asked by a patient if his drinking had caused his recent stroke: “Let’s put it this way — it certainly didn’t help.”
