STUDY: Any Amount of Alcohol Linked to Higher Dementia Risk

University of Oxford researchers found that consuming any amount of alcohol increases dementia risk, contradicting earlier studies that suggested light drinking might be protective.

The study, published Tuesday in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, analyzed data from nearly 560,000 people in the U.S. and U.K. over an average of four to twelve years. More than 14,500 participants developed dementia during the research period. Every additional one to three drinks weekly raised dementia risk by 15%.

Senior clinical researcher Anya Topiwala stated, “Our study findings support a detrimental effect of all types of alcohol consumption on dementia risk, with no evidence supporting the previously suggested protective effect of moderate drinking.”

When researchers controlled for genetic factors related to alcohol use, any drinking level increased dementia risk.