Even Light Drinking Jacks Your Dementia Risk

A decades-old belief that a daily drink might do the brain some good just took another hit. According to a new study in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, light, regular alcohol consumption can raise the risk of developing dementia. Researchers tracked more than 550,000 people aged 56 to 72 and analyzed genetics data from around 2.4 million individuals, finding no amount of drinking was truly safe when it came to dementia risk. The study challenges earlier research that seemed to show a protective effect for light to moderate drinking. For years, that "one drink a day" sweet spot was considered optimal, says Yale professor and study senior author Joel Gelernter, who admits he once imbibed daily. He's now more cautious, warning "even a small amount of alcohol intake may have negative cognitive effects down the line," per the Washington Post.

The researchers found that every time drinking frequency tripled, dementia risk climbed by 15%, per the BBC. Earlier studies may have missed this link because many non-drinkers had quit due to health problems, skewing results. There are also issues with self-reported drinking data, which is why researchers keyed in on genetic information. In doing so, they countered the idea of alcohol as "protective." Experts stress that the goal isn't to tell people to swear off alcohol completely. But reducing intake—especially avoiding binges—might help protect the brain's hardware. Even moderate alcohol intake appears to shrink gray matter and increase brain iron, both tied to neurodegeneration, though quitting heavy drinking can allow some cognitive rebound.