Yes. No. Maybe.
Who do you think will perform better on a cognitive assessment?
a) 70-year old male name Bob, who drinks 10 drinks a week, or
b) 70-year old male named Tom, who has never had a drink in his life
Now, if you are thinking that Tom will most likely score better on a cognitive test than you may NOT be correct. Shocked to learn this?
Recently, a research article published in JAMA Network Open, looked at over 19,000 adults living in the United States and compared their cognitive scores, calculated using word/vocabulary recall and mental status test (tests 4 components: appearance, behaviour, cognition and thought processes) .
Bob, who has 10 drinks/ week would fall under the low to moderate drinking category in the research article. It was found that people like Bob, scored higher on cognitive tests for two years compared to people like Tom. Additionally, they found that Bob would have a decreased rate of cognitive decline than Tom.
Does this mean moderate alcohol consumption is protective against cognitive decline?
Yes? No? Maybe?
