London - Drinking two small glasses of wine a day may reduce the risk of death for Alzheimer’s patients, research suggests.
The study found those who consumed “moderate” volumes of alcohol – between three and 4.5 units a day – had a 77 percent lower risk of death compared with those who drank one unit or less a day.
Two small glasses of wine have a total of 3.2 units, and two pints of beer 4.6 units.
Experts warned that more research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn from the findings. Dr Doug Brown, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study is not a green light for people with Alzheimer’s disease to start drinking more.”
The researchers behind the Danish Alzheimer’s Intervention Study, led by scientists at Copenhagen University Hospital, tracked 321 people with early Alzheimer’s disease for three years. They found that eight percent of patients drank no alcohol at all, and at the other end of the scale, four percent drank more than 4.5 units a day. About one in six participants (17 percent) drank between three and 4.5 units a day. During the monitoring period, 16.5 percent of the participants died.
The scientists, writing in the journal BMJ Open, said: “The results of our study point towards a potential positive association of moderate alcohol consumption on mortality in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
“However, we cannot solely, on the basis of this study, either encourage or advise against moderate alcohol consumption in these patients.”
Sir Ian Gilmore, chairperson of the Alcohol Health Alliance said: “This study is interesting and is in line with suggestions that low levels of alcohol consumption might protect against the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
“However, all studies like this, including those purporting to show a benefit of moderate alcohol in heart disease, are bedevilled by the confounding factor that non-drinking groups include those that have stopped because of ill-health.”
Daily Mail