Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background The impact of alcohol use on brain health including dementia remains contentious. Methodological limitations of previous studies have made distinguishing causation from confounding difficult. Genetic analyses has the potential to improve causal inference. Aims & Objectives To examine the role of alcohol on brain structure, cognitive decline and dementia. Method Relationships between alcohol and brain health were examined using advanced neuroimaging techniques and genetics in large population cohorts in the UK (Whitehall II, UK Biobank) and USA (Million Veteran Program). Observational and genetic analyses were triangulated to improve causal inference. Results Even small amounts of alcohol intake associate with neuroimaging markers of adverse brain health, including hippocampal volume (a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease) and elevated brain iron markers, as well as accelerated cognitive decline. Observational associations between alcohol and dementia were U-shaped, with non-, heavy (>40 drinks per week - hazard ratio (HR)1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 1.74]) and dependent (1.51[1.42-1.60]) drinkers at higher dementia risk than light drinkers. In contrast, genetic analyses revealed a monotonically increasing association between alcohol dose and dementia, with no evidence supporting a protective effect of any level of drinking. A two-fold increase in genetically-predicted alcohol use disorder prevalence was associated with a 16% increase in dementia cases (IVW OR=1.16[1.03-1.30]), and a one standard deviation increase in log-transformed drinks per week was associated with a 15% increase (IVW OR=1.15[1.03-1.27]). Discussion & Conclusions Alcohol consumption, even at moderate levels, appears to have a causal role for dementia. Halving the population prevalence of alcohol use disorder would lead to a 16% reduction in dementia cases.
Author: A Topiwala
Institution: University of Oxford
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,693
OpenAlex ID: W4413284743