Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, especially wine, may lessen the chances of dementia, says the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment.  A study with over 365,000 people in 143conducted over the last 35 years detailed a lower risk of brain impairment seen in those who drink alcoholic drinks. On the other hand, over doing it could show the exact opposite result.

Is it possible to prevent Alzheimer’s? Are their foods that prevent Alzheimer’s? Could drinking alcohol prevent Alzheimer’s?

Drinkers who had a maximum of 2 drinks a day for men and one drink per day for women were 23 % less likely to develop dementia’s such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of “cognitive impairment,”. Two drinks a day for men and one a day for women is considerate a moderate drinking level.

The study did show that more than 3-5 drinks per day could cause higher risk for dementia and it did show that wine seemed better than beer or liquor. However, the difference was very small according to the study.

There was no difference between men and women in this study in regards to the effect of how alcohol help to prevent dementia..

The study also concluded that the correlation between moderate drinking and reduced risk of dementia was statistically significant in 14 of 19 countries. The United States was one of these 14 countries.

Researchers were not certain why this low level of drinking may be a benefit but concluded that alcohol might improve blood flow in the brain and thus brain metabolism. Another theory suggests that small amounts of alcohol may make brain cells healthier because it slightly  reduces stress and increases their ability to cope with high degrees  of stress that may ultimately cause dementia.

Conclusive proof that moderate drinking helps curb dementia rates could only come from a prospective, randomized clinical trial — something that hasn’t happened yet.  Until then, patient guidance in this area may be problematic unless directed by your personal physician.