El consumo moderado de alcohol previene la demencia

Investigadores de la Universidad de Glasgow han demostrado que el consumo moderado de alcohol mejora la función cerebral en mujeres mayores. El análisis se basó en 5.800 personas de 70 a 82 años usando tests de memoria y lenguaje.

Los resultados fueron similares en los varones, pero en las mujeres el consumo entre una y siete unidades de alcohol por semana ejecutan mejor en las pruebas que en las mujeres que raramente beben. El profesor David Stott, de la Universidad de Glasgow, estaba interesado en evaluar la memoria, pensar y conocimiento. Parece que el consumo moderado de alcohol evitar el declinar del conocimiento como velocidad de pensamiento y el uso del lenguaje y palabras. Cuando las lesiones son sorias son un un signo de demencia.

Stott DJ, Falconer A, Kerr GD, Murray HM, Trompet S, Westendorp RG, Buckley B, de Craen AJ, Sattar N, Ford I. Does low to moderate alcohol intake protect against cognitive decline in older people? J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008 Dec;56(12):2217-24.

Faculty of Medicine, Academic Section of Geriatric Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether low to moderate alcohol intake is protective against cognitive decline in older people. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Community-based study in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand eight hundred four people (3,000 women) aged 70 to 82 and randomized to pravastatin or placebo in the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk. MEASUREMENTS: Alcohol consumption was determined at study baseline. Serial measures of cognitive function over 3.2 years mean follow-up included Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE), speed of information processing (Stroop and Letter-Digit Coding tests), and immediate and delayed memory (Picture-Word Learning test). RESULTS: Forty-two percent of women and 71% of men were alcohol drinkers. Cognitive performance was better for female drinkers than nondrinkers for all cognitive domains over the 3.2-year follow-up; no significant effects were seen for men (linear mixed model, including adjusting for possible confounders). The rate of cognitive decline was similar for drinkers and nondrinkers for all cognitive domains, except for MMSE, which declined significantly less in female drinkers than nondrinkers (linear mixed model attenuated rate of decline=0.05 MMSE units per annum, P=.001). CONCLUSION: Drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol may delay age-associated cognitive decline in older women (including slowing deterioration in global cognitive function), but these apparent benefits were not clearly seen in older men.

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