Abstract
BackgroundUsing UK Biobank data, this study sought to explain the causal relationship between alcohol intake and cognitive decline in middle and older aged populations.MethodsData from 13 342 men and women, aged between 40 and 73 years were used in regression analysis that tested the functional relationship and impact of alcohol on cognitive performance. Performance was measured using mean reaction time (RT) and intra-individual variation (IIV) in RT, collected in response to a perceptual matching task. Covariates included body mass index, physical activity, tobacco use, socioeconomic status, education and baseline cognitive function.ResultsA restricted cubic spline regression with three knots showed how the linear (β1 = −0.048, 95% CI: −0.105 to −0.030) and non-linear effects (β2 = 0.035, 95% CI: 0.007–0.059) of alcohol use on mean RT and IIV in RT (β1 = −0.055, 95% CI: −0.125 to −0.034; β2 = 0.034, 95% CI: 0.002–0.064) were significant adjusting for covariates. Cognitive function declined as alcohol use increased beyond 10 g/day. Decline was more apparent as age increased.ConclusionsThe relationship between alcohol use and cognitive function is non-linear. Consuming more than one UK standard unit of alcohol per day is detrimental to cognitive performance and is more pronounced in older populations.
Highlights
A restricted cubic spline regression with three knots showed how the linear (β1 = −0.048, 95% CI: −0.105 to −0.030) and non-linear effects (β2 = 0.035, 95% CI: 0.007–0.059) of alcohol use on mean reaction time (RT) and individual variation (IIV) in RT (β1 = −0.055, 95% CI: −0.125 to −0.034; β2 = 0.034, 95% CI: 0.002–0.064) were significant adjusting for covariates
Cognitive function declined as alcohol use increased beyond 10 g/day
RT varied by age, gender, education, body mass index (BMI), walking activity, alcohol consumption and smoking status (Table 1)
Summary
The suggested curvilinear association between alcohol and cognition, is controversial. Recent reviews[16,17,18] and meta-analyses[19,20,21] indicate that there is little consensus on the level of alcohol consumption at which the harmful effects of alcohol on cognition emerge. A Mendelian Randomization study of alcohol and cognitive. This study sought to explain the causal relationship between alcohol intake and cognitive decline in middle and older aged populations
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