Contradicting previous medical facts, a latest research claims that drinking any amount of alcohol does not hamper cognitive skills in elderly men.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia studied genetic data of 3,542 men aged between 65 and 83. They also collected their data of alcohol consumption of past year.
Using Mendelian randomization, a study design that adds genetic information into traditional epidemiologic methods, researchers examined a gene linked to the body's ability to metabolize alcohol.
The participants were divided into two groups - occasional drinkers and regular drinkers. According to the researchers, those who drank more than 35 standard drinks were found to have an alcohol abuse problem
The researchers examined cognitive impairment with a validated scale after six years. They found that alcohol consumption was not linked to cognitive impairment for older men.
"Heavy alcohol consumption is known to be detrimental to health, so these results were counter intuitive," study researcher and Professor Osvaldo Almeida, research director at the University of Western Australia's Center for Health and Aging, said in a university press release.
Almeida also stated that if heavy alcohol use was considered as direct cause of cognitive impairment, then people with the genetic variant that makes them avoid alcohol should have lower risk of cognitive impairment later in life. However, that was not the case. He also noted that the study was limited to older men and it was unclear if the results could be generalized to other age groups or women.
"Our results are consistent with the possibility, but do not prove, that regular moderate drinking decreases the risk of cognitive impairment in older men," the authors wrote.
Almeida said that the study results were important as they might shed further light on the mechanisms that contribute to cognitive decline as people grow older.
The study was published in Neurology.
