A wine a day may delay dementia

An Italian study has shown that a fine glass of wine a day can help to battle a drift into dementia.

In the study, published in the journal Neurology, researchers evaluated alcohol consumption and the incidence of mild cognitive impairment – a transitional stage between normal ageing and dementia – in 1,445 people. They then followed 121 people, aged 65 to 84, with mild cognitive impairment and their progression to dementia over 42 months.

The study found that people with mild cognitive impairment who had up to one drink of alcohol a day – most often wine – developed dementia at an 85% slower rate than people with mild cognitive impairment who never drank alcohol.

While many studies have assessed alcohol consumption and cognitive function in the elderly, this is the first study to look at how alcohol consumption affects the rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia.

The study did not find any association between higher levels of drinking – more than one drink per day – and the rate of progression to dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment compared to non-drinkers.