Numerous studies in recent years have shown the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. The last advantage discovered about alcohol is that it can help fight a disease as serious as Alzheimer’s.
According to a study from the Loyola University School of Medicine in Chicago (United States), whose results have been published in ‘Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment’, drinking a glass or two of wine or beer a day can reduce the risk of 23 percent develop Alzheimer’s.
After analyzing more than 140 studies, the oldest from 1977, in which more than 350,000 people participated, the scientists found that moderate drinkers were 23 percent less likely to develop forms of dementia and cognitive problems.
Two glasses of wine a day
- Light or moderate drinking means a maximum of two alcoholic drinks per day for men and one for women. “It is known that a glass of wine is good for the heart and reduces the risk of developing coronary and cardiovascular diseases,” says one of the co-authors of the study, Edward J. Nisei, “but, with this research, -continues the expert- Moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to have the same effect on the brain.”
- Wine is more beneficial than beer or spirits, but the researchers explained that most of the studies included in the analysis did not distinguish between different types of alcohol. Conversely, heavy drinking, that is, three to five times a day, is associated with a high risk of dementia.
- Both Nisei and his co-author, Michael A. Collins, professors of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, suggest that “small amounts of alcohol strengthen brain cells and enable them to better cope with the stress that leads to dementia later in life.”
- Another theory suggests that the known cardiovascular benefits moderate drinking can also improve blood circulation to the brain, increasing brain metabolism. Added to this responsible consumption, exercise, education and a Mediterranean diet can also reduce the risks of developing dementia.
