Wine Slows Down Dementia?

Filed in archive Wine News on June 15, 2007

With the general population living longer, dementia is just one of many medical conditions that th elderly find they eventually may have to deal with. Maybe they need to add a little vino to their diet though according to a new study, A Drink a Day Delays Dementia, Study Finds:

A new study, conducted by scientists from the Department of Geriatrics at the University of Bari, in Bari, Italy, found that a drink or two per day may help slow the development of dementia. The research, published in the May 22 issue of the journal Neurology, may provide hope for those at risk of dementia and diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the transitional stage between normal brain function and full-blown, irreversible cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's. [...]

"While many studies have assessed alcohol consumption and cognitive function in the elderly, this is the first study to look at how alcohol consumption affects the rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia," said study co-author Dr. Vincenzo Solfrizzi, a researcher of geriatrics at the University of Bari.

The 1,445 participants were categorized by whether they abstained, had up to 1 drink per day, had 1 to 2 drinks per day, or consumed more than 2 drinks a day. Eighty-five percent of the participants reported that they prefer wine. The researchers evaluated the incidence of MCI by administering tests that measured the ability to perform daily tasks focused on self care, such as bathing or preparing their own meals. They also tested attention, language versatility and verbal retention and recall. They also tested more advanced skills, such as the ability to balance a checkbook or going grocery shopping.

The researchers then followed 121 people with MCI and charted their progression to dementia. Those who had up to one drink of alcohol per day developed dementia at an 85 percent slower rate than people who never drank alcohol. Those who drank one to two drinks declined at a rate that was 53 percent slower. The rate was 56 percent slower in those who drank more than two drinks per day, when compared to abstainers.

"This implies that light to moderate alcohol consumption might have a protective effect versus total abstention or heavy consumption," wrote the study's authors. However, they aren't exactly sure why moderate consumption was beneficial.