Even light drinking -- generally thought to be protective, based on observational studies -- is unlikely to lower the risk, which rises in tandem with the quantity of alcohol consumed, the research indicates.
Current thinking suggests that there might be an 'optimal dose' of alcohol for brain health, but most of these studies have focused on older people and/or didn't differentiate between former and lifelong non-drinkers, complicating efforts to infer causality, note the researchers.
To try and circumnavigate these issues and strengthen the evidence base, the researchers drew on observational data and genetic methods (Mendelian randomization) from two large biological databanks for the entire 'dose' range of alcohol consumption.
These were the US Million Veteran Program (MVP), which includes people of European, African, and Latin American ancestry, and the UK Biobank (UKB), which includes people of predominantly European ancestry.
Participants who were aged 56-72 at baseline, were monitored from recruitment until their first dementia diagnosis, death, or the date of last follow-up (December 2019 for MVP and January 2022 for UKB), whichever came first. The average monitoring period was 4 years for the US group, and 12 for the UK group.
Alcohol consumption was derived from questionnaire responses -- over 90% of participants said they drank alcohol -- and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) clinical screening tool. This screens for hazardous drinking patterns, including the frequency of binge drinking (6 or more drinks at a time).
