Both long term abstinence and heavy drinking may increase dementia risk

People who abstain from alcohol or consume more than 14 units a week during middle age are at increased risk of developing dementia, finds a study co-led by UCL. As people live longer, the number living with dementia is expected to triple by 2050. So understanding the impact of alcohol consumption on ageing outcomes is important. Previous studies indicate that moderate drinking is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, whereas both abstinence and heavy drinking are associated with a risk of dementia. But the evidence is far from conclusive, and the reasons underlying these associations remain unclear. The team of researchers from Inserm (French national institute of health and medical research) and from UCL set out to investigate the association between midlife alcohol consumption and risk of dementia into early old age. They also examined whether cardiometabolic disease (a group of conditions including stroke, coronary heart disease, and diabetes) has any effect on this association.