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Alcohol, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly: a systematic review.
Age Ageing. 2008 Sep; 37(5):505-12.AA

Abstract

BACKGROUND

dementia and cognitive decline have been linked to cardiovascular risk. Alcohol has known negative effects in large quantities but may be protective for the cardiovascular system in smaller amounts. Effect of alcohol intake may be greater in the elderly and may impact on cognition.

METHODS

to evaluate the evidence for any relationship between incident cognitive decline or dementia in the elderly and alcohol consumption, a systematic review and meta-analyses were carried out. Criteria for inclusion were longitudinal studies of subjects aged >or=65, with primary outcomes of incident dementia/cognitive decline.

RESULTS

23 studies were identified (20 epidemiological cohort, three retrospective matched case-control nested in a cohort). Meta-analyses suggest that small amounts of alcohol may be protective against dementia (random effects model, risk ratio [RR] 0.63; 95% CI 0.53-0.75) and Alzheimer's disease (RR 0.57; 0.44-0.74) but not for vascular dementia (RR 0.82; 0.50-1.35) or cognitive decline (RR 0.89; 0.67-1.17) However, studies varied, with differing lengths of follow up, measurement of alcohol intake, inclusion of true abstainers and assessment of potential confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

because of the heterogeneity in the data these findings should be interpreted with caution. However, there is some evidence to suggest that limited alcohol intake in earlier adult life may be protective against incident dementia later.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Peters R
Imperial College, London, UK. r.peters@imperial.ac.uk
Peters J
No affiliation info available
Warner J
No affiliation info available
Beckett N
No affiliation info available
Bulpitt C
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdultAge FactorsAgedAgingAlcohol DrinkingCognitionCognition DisordersDementiaDose-Response Relationship, DrugEvidence-Based MedicineFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedOdds RatioRisk Assessment

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Meta-Analysis
Review
Systematic Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

18487267

Citation

Peters, Ruth, et al. "Alcohol, Dementia and Cognitive Decline in the Elderly: a Systematic Review." Age and Ageing, vol. 37, no. 5, 2008, pp. 505-12.
Peters R, Peters J, Warner J, et al. Alcohol, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly: a systematic review. Age Ageing. 2008;37(5):505-12.
Peters, R., Peters, J., Warner, J., Beckett, N., & Bulpitt, C. (2008). Alcohol, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly: a systematic review. Age and Ageing, 37(5), 505-12. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afn095
Peters R, et al. Alcohol, Dementia and Cognitive Decline in the Elderly: a Systematic Review. Age Ageing. 2008;37(5):505-12. PubMed PMID: 18487267.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Alcohol, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly: a systematic review. AU - Peters,Ruth, AU - Peters,Jean, AU - Warner,James, AU - Beckett,Nigel, AU - Bulpitt,Christopher, Y1 - 2008/05/16/ PY - 2008/5/20/pubmed PY - 2008/10/17/medline PY - 2008/5/20/entrez SP - 505 EP - 12 JF - Age and ageing JO - Age Ageing VL - 37 IS - 5 N2 - BACKGROUND: dementia and cognitive decline have been linked to cardiovascular risk. Alcohol has known negative effects in large quantities but may be protective for the cardiovascular system in smaller amounts. Effect of alcohol intake may be greater in the elderly and may impact on cognition. METHODS: to evaluate the evidence for any relationship between incident cognitive decline or dementia in the elderly and alcohol consumption, a systematic review and meta-analyses were carried out. Criteria for inclusion were longitudinal studies of subjects aged >or=65, with primary outcomes of incident dementia/cognitive decline. RESULTS: 23 studies were identified (20 epidemiological cohort, three retrospective matched case-control nested in a cohort). Meta-analyses suggest that small amounts of alcohol may be protective against dementia (random effects model, risk ratio [RR] 0.63; 95% CI 0.53-0.75) and Alzheimer's disease (RR 0.57; 0.44-0.74) but not for vascular dementia (RR 0.82; 0.50-1.35) or cognitive decline (RR 0.89; 0.67-1.17) However, studies varied, with differing lengths of follow up, measurement of alcohol intake, inclusion of true abstainers and assessment of potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: because of the heterogeneity in the data these findings should be interpreted with caution. However, there is some evidence to suggest that limited alcohol intake in earlier adult life may be protective against incident dementia later. SN - 1468-2834 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/18487267/Alcohol_dementia_and_cognitive_decline_in_the_elderly:_a_systematic_review_ L2 - https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/ageing/afn095 DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -