Study Finds Even Small Amounts Of Alcohol Increase Risk Of Dementia

A new UK study has found that even low levels of alcohol consumption may raise the risk of dementia, challenging long-held assumptions about safe drinking.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), analyzed data from 560,000 people and reviewed findings from 45 other studies covering 2.4 million participants.

Lead researcher Anya Topiwala, a clinical lecturer at the University of Oxford, said the study questions the belief that light or moderate drinking benefits brain health.

She warned that“even light or moderate alcohol consumption may increase the risk of dementia,” highlighting evidence that alcohol directly damages brain nerve cells.

One of the study's key findings showed that tripling weekly alcohol intake raised dementia risk by as much as 15 percent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously reported that harmful alcohol use is a factor in more than 200 diseases, including heart and liver problems, cancers, injuries, and mental health disorders.

According to WHO, alcohol misuse claims at least three million lives globally each year-equivalent to one death every 10 seconds.

The latest findings add weight to growing scientific evidence that no level of alcohol consumption is entirely safe, urging policymakers to revisit public health guidelines on drinking.

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