14 DAY TRIAL // A regular and moderate intake of alcoholic beverages can both promote mental health and improve memory in elderly people, a new paper in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism argues.
Thus, researchers say that, of the people who regularly indulge in a glass or two of wine, some 80% have a better memory and better learning skills in later life.
The 20% that do not experience an improvement in their memory and their learning abilities as a result of moderate drinking are more often than not carriers of a gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease, i.e. APOE e4.
Specialists explain that, according to their investigations into the matter at hand, the people who carry this gene are likely to be negatively affected by a regular intake of alcohol, rather that experience an improvement in their mental health.
“Light and moderate alcohol consumption during late life was associated with greater decline in learning and memory among APOE e4 carriers, whereas light and moderate alcohol consumption was associated with an increase in learning and memory among non-APOE e4 carriers,” the researchers write in their paper, as cited by Daily Mail.
The same source tells us that, in order to determine how moderate alcohol consumption influences the memory and learning abilities of elderly people, scientists kept a close eye on the drinking habits and mental health of 619 people in Framingham, Massachusetts.
These individuals were monitored from mid-life to present day. 22% were found to be carriers of the APOE e4 gene, whereas the remainder 78% did not carry it.
Of the people belonging to the first group, the ones that had better mental abilities in their late years were the ones that never consumed alcohol. By contrast, moderate drinkers in the second group were found to be the ones with the best memories and learning skills.
By the looks of it, those who consumed 7 – 14 drinks on a weekly basis were the ones who benefited the most from this habit.