Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Health Benefits of Alcohol Questioned — Specific Topics
Alcohol, Dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease
In the March 19, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the reported conclusion was that older adults who allowed themselves one to six alcoholic drinks weekly had a lower risk of dementia than those who completely abstained. There have been several studies on alcohol and cognitive functioning and the results have been mixed, says the study’s author, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. More recent studies have been suggesting that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of dementia, he adds.
In the study comparing drinkers with abstainers the following results were obtained: Those who consumed: zero to one drink/week had a 35% lower risk; one to six drinks/week had a 54% lower risk; and, seven to thirteen drinks 7-13/week had a 31% lower risk. Those who drank 14 to 21 drinks each week had a 22% greater risk.
The results are not convincing to all experts. “It is difficult to conclude whether alcohol has any impact on your risk for dementia,” says Dr. Antonio Convit, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Center for Brain Health at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. “There is zero benefit that I can see from these studies, he said.”
{HealthScoutNews and Hon News, March 2003}
In a December 2002 study, light to moderate alcohol consumption was also reportedly associated with a lower than average risk of developing dementia. Those who drank one to three alcoholic drinks per day (any kind) were 40% less likely to develop any form of dementia than those who drank less or none at all. Their risk for Alzheimer’s disease was lower by 30% and their risk for vascular dementia was lower by 70%. The authors do acknowledge that cause and effect are not certain, as abstainers may be at risk for dementia for reasons unrelated to drinking. The study found no association of alcohol use and dementia among women.
{Rotterdam - Lancet 2002; health.harvard.edu - March 2003}
Alcohol, Dementia and Alzheimer's — The Rest of the Story!
(June Russell’s added comments)
An examination of the original study of the “Prospective Study of Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Dementia in Older Adults” in JAMA, March 19, 2003, revealed information that was not included in media reports: “Even moderate alcohol consumption may have effects that increase dementia risk. Blood alcohol levels as low as 0.02% impairs driving ability, and moderate alcohol use is associated with a greater risk of cerebral hemorrhage.
{“Alcohol consumption a risk for hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic stroke,” Am. J. Med. 1991}
This original article had additional variables: alcohol use was self-reported, which is not always accurate; moderate alcohol consumption was associated with greater brain atrophy; former drinkers and quitters had approximately 20% to 60% higher odds of dementia than long term abstainers; those participants who completed the MRI examination were generally healthier; social factors could have contributed because moderate alcohol use is positively associated with social contacts. Among those individuals who had a higher APOE e4 (apolipoprotein E genotype) there was a higher risk of dementia in those who drank moderately.
{Epidemiology 2000}
The public needs to be aware that the same amounts of alcohol shown in these two studies (Lancet and JAMA) as supposedly being beneficial for Alzheimer’s disease/dementia also result in: increased risk of cancer, impaired judgment, precipatated or increased depression, insomnia, lower immunity, increased stress, dangerous interactions with medications, interference with the absorption of vitamins and nutrients, increased likelihood of an accident, and increased free radicals, just to name a few. See additional warnings of light and moderate alcohol use, with references, on this site.
Although many variables were considered that might have influenced the study, I saw no factors related to diet and vitamin intake, or weight. Previous studies of dementia have given mixed results, and since it was stated that this study was not based on a randomized trial (individuals may vary with different health characteristics), the ‘abstainers’ in this study may be at risk for dementia for other reasons, or the ‘drinkers’ have other characteristics that would have produced positive results.
More about Alcohol, Cognition, and Dementia
Even in moderate amounts, alcohol disrupts hippocampus function. The hippocampus is a key area of the brain for learning and memory (Hippocampus 2000). According to Mary Dufour, MD, in “Contemporary Drug Problems,” (1994) there is a decreased cognitive functioning in men and women who socially drink an average of three or more times a week.
Dr. Robert Goldman, author of “Brain Fitness,” tells us in the ‘Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients’ (1998), that alcohol is a poison for memory. Even small amounts of alcohol increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, and according to a journal of the American Heart Association (2001) every drink is associated with greater brain shrinkage. For more information on this subject see “Alcohol - Brain Function and Memory,” on this site.
None of the studies presented could overshadow the fact that our government has declared alcoholic beverages to be a class “A” human carcinogen, along with arsenic and asbestos, not to mention the many other dangers of alcohol use. Alcohol is a drug, depressant and tranquilizer. It is time to rethink ‘responsible’ drinking.
Alcohol and Brain Fitness
In a December 1996 study reported by Reuters, it was suggested that moderate alcohol consumption suppresses activity in the hippocampus, a key area of the brain for learning and memory. Also, according to Mary Dufour, MD, in “Contemporary Drug Problems,” (1994) there is a decreased cognitive functioning in men and women who socially drink an average of three or more times a week. Dr. Robert Goldman, author of “Brain Fitness” tells us in the ‘Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients’ (1998) that alcohol is a poison for memory. According to a journal of the American Heart Association (2001), every drink is associated with greater brain shrinkage. Even small amounts of alcohol increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Safer Ways to Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
BS news reported the findings from two studies reported in JAMA, suggested that the intake of vitamins (from eating vitamin-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, and eating less red meat) can reduce Alzheimer risk by as much as 70%. Vitamins C and E were specifically mentioned. Antioxidant vitamins have been shown to block the effects of free radicals which can damage cells. Free radicals are thought to contribute to cancer and heart disease, and lesions typically associated with exposure to free radicals have been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease that causes memory loss, disorientation, depression, and decay of bodily functions. It is a disease that now afflicts 4 million Americans. Several studies presented at the ‘International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders’ (July 2002) indicate that lowering blood pressure may reduce their chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
{Sources: “Vitamins Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk?” and “Healthy Diet May Help Fight Alzheimer’s,” cbsnews.com - from reports on June 26 and July 18, 2002} Author’s comment: Alcohol use depletes vitamins/nutrients. See “Alcohol Vitamins/Nutrients on this site.
One or two alcoholic drinks per day may increase HDL cholesterol by about 12 percent on average, which is an increase similar to that seen with exercise programs and medications. Niacin therapy is effective in raising HDL even higher, for about a 20 percent increase. There is no scientific proof that drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverage can replace the effective conventional measures of diet, controlling weight, and exercise. Even moderate drinking can adversely affect some individuals.
{Ira Goldberg, MD, a member of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee, and Professor of Medicine at Columbia University in New York City, sciencedaily.com - October 2002}
Memory Problems and Alzheimer’s — May Be a Blood Sugar Problem
Losing your memory in old age sometimes may have nothing to do with Alzheimer’s and lots to do with blood sugar, says a small study from New York University. It has been long known that diabetics are at higher-than-normal-risk for memory problems, probably because diabetes harms blood vessels that supply the brain, heart and other organs. However, simple diet and exercise could help many people protect their brains from the fogged memory associated with aging.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that people’s memory may be harmed long before they ever develop full-fledged diabetes, and that’s a problem of fuel, not plumbing. The slower those outwardly healthy people metabolized blood sugar, the worse their memory was, and the smaller their hippocampus was, Dr. Antonio Convit, lead researcher, found. Without treatment, pre-diabetes usually turns into full-fledged diabetes, which in turn brings deadly heart attacks, kidney failure and numerous other ailments.
{“Blood Sugar Linked to Memory Loss,” www.cbsnews.com - Feb. 2, 2003} *Author’s comment: The use of alcohol plays havoc with blood sugar levels. See also Alcohol - Diabetes (blood sugar) on this site.
Variables that Influence the Outcome of Studies
A Danish study finds that wine drinking lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s, although regular beer drinkers had a higher risk, individuals who drank up to 21 glasses of wine each week had measurably lower risk of dementia. Researchers said that wine drinkers have a healthier diet than people drinking beer or spirits - they had a higher intake of fruit, fish, vegetables and salad, and tended not to use fats on bread and used olive oil for cooking more frequently.
Dr. Truelsen at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, believes that antioxidants may be responsible, as wine, especially red wine, is high in antioxidants such as flavonoids. There is also evidence that dietary vitamin E may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s but this was not accounted for in the study. In conclusion, the results do not indicate that people should start drinking or increase wine consumption to avoid dementia, but instead suggest that certain substances in wine may reduce the occurrence of dementia.
{Neurology 2002; MSNBC.com - Nov. 2002; Washington Post, November 12, 2002} Author’s comment: Fourteen to twenty-one glasses a week of wine is considered ‘heavy’ drinking by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as other drug awareness groups, and the public needs to balance this report with the many dangers, not only of heavy use, but also the risks of light and moderate alcohol use.