Drinking wine could help avoid dementia

May 2008
P3


Rates of dementia appear to be lower
among women who drink wine than
those who consume other alcoholic beverages.
The authors of a recently-published study
reported 164 cases of dementia among 1,462
Swedish women over a 34-year period.
Analysis of participants’ drinking habits
found that total alcohol consumption did
not relate to the likelihood of developing
dementia, but drinking wine was associated
with a protective effect (hazard ratio .56
using a multivariate model). Consumption
of spirits, conversely, appeared to increase
the risk for dementia.
This contrast suggests that the protective
effects of wine could stem from a constituent
which is not found in other alcoholic
drinks, the study concludes. [Am J Epidemiol
2008 Mar 15;167(6):684-91]