Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Linked to Cognitive Function

Low to moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with better cognitive outcomes in older participants compared with not drinking, according to the results of a recent study.

Previous research has examined the effects of various levels of alcohol consumption on cognitive function, but results have been mixed, according to the study authors.

For this reason, they conducted a prospective cohort study involving 19,887 participants (mean age 61.8 years) who underwent measure of cognitive function from 1996 through 2008 and completed at least 3 biennial surveys.

Low to moderate drinking was defined as <8 drinks per week for women and <15 rinks per week for men). Participants were grouped based on the trajectory of their cognitive function scores.

Overall, low and moderate drinking was significantly associated with a consistently high trajectory of cognitive function, as well as lower rates of cognitive decline. When compared with participants who never drank, those with low to moderate consumption were less likely to have consistently low total cognitive function trajectories (odds ratio [OR] 0.66 95% CI 0.59-0.74), mental status (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.63-0.81), word recall (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.69-0.80), and vocabulary (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.56-0.74).

However, the researchers noted a significant racial/ethnic difference in the trajectories of mental status among low to moderate drinkers, with lower likelihood of consistently low mental status trajectory present in white participants but not in Black participants. 

“Alcohol consumption had a U-shaped relationship with cognitive function scores, with an optimal dosage of 10 to 14 drinks per week for all participants,” the researchers concluded.

“Studies examining the mechanisms underlying the association between alcohol drinking and cognition in middle-aged or older adults are needed.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Zhang R, Shen L, Miles T, et al. Association of low to moderate alcohol drinking with cognitive functions from middle to older age among US adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(6):e207922. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.7922