Latest scientific news 30 March 2020

Wine consumption and Alzheimer Disease

This review aimed to critically summarize the main relevant studies to clarify the relationship between wine drinking and Alzheimer Disease (AD), as well as how frequency and/or the amount of drinking may influence the effects of AD.

AD is a common disease among ageing individuals, being the sixth leading cause of all death and one of the most common causes of impairment. One possible method of delaying and/or preventing the onset of AD is changing its modifiable risk factors, among them diet, which plays an important role. Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate, if wine might represent a modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment, but results have been conflicting. Excessive wine consumption, associated with adverse brain outcomes, increases the risk of dementia due to direct neurotoxic effects; however, light to moderate wine consumption seems to reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline in an age-dependent manner. Some studies contend that moderate wine consumption may serve as a protective factor for cognitive decline and has associated the health properties of wine with polyphenolic content and their antioxidant properties. An increased wine consumption is associated with factors that, in turn, promote the onset of dementia, such as hypertension and diabetes. Thus, the protection, attenuation, or intensification of AD may be based on the amount and frequency of wine consumption, individual characteristics, and individual lifestyles. The authors conclude that further research is needed to clarify and comprehensively understand the effect of wine consumption on AD.

Reale M et al, Relationship of Wine Consumption with Alzheimer’s Disease, Nutrients 2020, 12, 206; https://doi:10.3390/nu12010206

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7019227/pdf/nutrients-12-00206.pdf