A new large -scale study that combines the health data of than half a million people and genetic information over two million showed that alcohol in any quantity can increase the risk of dementia. The study is published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicinehe was headed by Ani drowned from Naffield University Oxford together with scientists from Yale, Harvard and Cambridge.

Earlier it was believed that the light or moderate use of alcohol could be “useful” for the brain-the so-called U-shaped connection was formed: the teetotalers and people who abuse alcohol allegedly risked more than moderate fans of the glass of wine. But the new work showed that such observations most likely reflected reverse causal relationship. People who begin to manifest early signs of reducing cognitive functions themselves can reduce the use of alcohol, and this creates the illusion of a “protective effect”.

To check the hypothesis, the researchers used the data of two large cohors. In total, 559,000 adults aged 56–72 years participated in the observation. For 4-12 years of observation, more than 14,000 people were diagnosed with dementia. The primary analysis showed U-shaped dependence: the risk of dementia was high in alcohol abused, low in temperate consumers and relatively increased among completely abstained, which could be associated with previously existing health problems.

To separate the true effect of distortion, scientists applied Mendelev’s randomization – A method that uses genetic options associated with alcohol consumption, as an indirect indicator of how much alcohol people are inclined to consume throughout their lives. This approach minimizes the influence of reverse causality and other hidden factors.

The results were unambiguous: the higher the genetically predisposed alcohol consumption, the higher the risk of dementia. Even a small increase in the “dose” was accompanied by an increase in the risk of dementia by 15-16 %. Mention of “useful” easy use in this analysis was not found.

But this does not mean that those who do not have this predisposition are automatically safe. Any consumption of alcohol increases the risk of dementia, just genetics helped to identify the power of communication and eliminate the reverse causal relationship

Additionally, researchers noted that people who later developed dementia gradually reduced alcohol consumption long before the diagnosis. This fact helps to understand why previous observations created the illusion of the benefits of alcohol. Genetic analysis confirmed the trend: no U-shaped curve was observed-the risk of linearly with an increase in use.

Researchers emphasize that such data can help public healthcare: a reduction in the number of people with problematic alcohol consumption is even half as reduce the incidence of dementia by 16 %. At the same time, it is worth remembering the restrictions, the chir diagnoses of dementia are often based on medical records, and the reports of the participants about the number of alcohol drunk can be inaccurate. Genetic markers reflect trends, and not specific habits at a certain stage of life.

This study adds significant evidence that alcohol not only does not protect the brain, but also potentially increases the risk of cognitive decline in any quantity.

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on 2025-09-24 14:38:00.
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