Background The adverse effects of excess alcohol intake on cognitivefunction are well established, but the effect of moderate consumptionis uncertain.
Methods Between 1995 and 2001, we evaluated cognitive functionin 12,480 participants in the Nurses' Health Study who were70 to 81 years old, with follow-up assessments in 11,102 twoyears later. The level of alcohol consumption was ascertainedregularly beginning in 1980. We calculated multivariate-adjustedmean cognitive scores and multivariate-adjusted risks of cognitiveimpairment (defined as the lowest 10 percent of the scores)and a substantial decline in cognitive function over time (definedas a change that was in the worst 10 percent of the distributionof the decline). We also stratified analyses according to theapolipoprotein E genotype in a subgroup of women.
Results After multivariate adjustment, moderate drinkers (thosewho consumed less than 15.0 g of alcohol per day [about onedrink]) had better mean cognitive scores than nondrinkers. Amongmoderate drinkers, as compared with nondrinkers, the relativerisk of impairment was 0.77 on our test of general cognition(95 percent confidence interval, 0.67 to 0.88) and 0.81 on thebasis of a global cognitive score combining the results of alltests (95 percent confidence interval, 0.70 to 0.93). The resultsfor cognitive decline were similar; for example, on our testof general cognition, the relative risk of a substantial declinein performance over a two-year period was 0.85 (95 percent confidenceinterval, 0.74 to 0.98) among moderate drinkers, as comparedwith nondrinkers. There were no significant associations betweenhigher levels of drinking (15.0 to 30.0 g per day) and the riskof cognitive impairment or decline. There were no significantdifferences in risks according to the beverage (e.g., wine orbeer) and no interaction with the apolipoprotein E genotype.
Conclusions Our data suggest that in women, up to one drinkper day does not impair cognitive function and may actuallydecrease the risk of cognitive decline.
Source Information
From the Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School (M.J.S., J.H.K., J.C., F.G.); and the Departments of Epidemiology (M.J.S., F.G.) and Nutrition (M.J.S.), Harvard School of Public Health — all in Boston; and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Nashville (R.C.).
Alcohol and Cognitive Function in Older Women
Schmidt K. S., Libon D. J., Pezzetta F., Mascitelli L., Zuccala G., Marzetti E., Bernabei R., Stampfer M. J., Kang J. H., Grodstein F.
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N Engl J Med 2005;
352:1817-1819, Apr 28, 2005.
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