It appears there's yet another piece of
evidence to suggest that the old saying "A little bit of what
you fancy does you good", has more than a grain of truth. The
emphasis, however, is on "a little".
We've already learned of the benefits to women of
one cup of coffee per day,
the benefits of tea, and rarely a day goes by where we don't
hear about the 'new-found benefits' of dark chocolate.
Now
it's the turn of alcohol again.
A
study published recently by the American Academy of Neurology,
suggests that up to one drink of alcohol a day may
slow progression of dementia in people who are experiencing mild
cognitive impairment.
Mild
cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between
normal ageing and dementia. Symptoms are mild memory or
cognitive problems, but no significant disability.
The
study found that people with mild cognitive impairment, who had
up to one drink of alcohol a day (mostly wine), developed
dementia at an 85 percent slower rate than people who also had
mild cognitive impairment but never drank alcohol.
The
study did not find any association between higher levels of
drinking (i.e. more than one drink per day) and the rate of
progression to dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment
compared to non-drinkers.
Also see:
Too
Much Alcohol Shrinks the Brain
