| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
Alcohol, dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly
— a systematic review | | Author(s) | Ruth Peters, Jean Peters, James Warner |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 37, no 5, September 2008 |
| Pages | pp 505-512 |
| Source | http://www.ageing.oupjournals.org |
| Keywords | Alcoholic beverages ; Dementia ; Cognitive processes ; Cognitive impairment ; Longitudinal surveys ; Literature reviews. |
| Annotation | Alcohol consumption 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 older people and may affect cognition. To evaluate the evidence for any relationship between incident cognitive decline or dementia in older people and alcohol consumption, a systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out. Criteria for inclusion were longitudinal studies of subjects age 65+ with primary outcomes of incident dementia or cognitive decline. 23 studies were identified (20 epidemiological cohort, and 3 retrospective matched-case control nested in a cohort). Meta-analyses suggest that small amounts of alcohol may be protective against dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), but not for vascular dementia or cognitive decline. However, studies varied, with differing lengths of follow-up, the measurement of alcohol intake, inclusion of true abstainers and assessment of potential confounders. 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 life may be protective against incident dementia later. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-081008212 A |
| Classmark | YPP: EA: DA: E4: 3J: 64A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|