2005-2-1
I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Health Report.
A new study suggests that moderate use of alcohol might help
reduce the loss of mental ability, at least in older women. The
researchers define moderate as less than fifteen grams a day, or
about one drink.
The study compared the risk of cognitive impairment in women who
used alcohol to women who did not. Cognitive impairment means a loss
of thinking ability. Here is what the scientists reported in The New
England Journal of Medicine: Women who drank less than fifteen grams
of alcohol per day had about a twenty percent lower risk than those
who drank none at all. Mental ability was measured for only a
two-year period.
Doctor Francine Grodstein of Brigham and Women's Hospital in
Boston, Massachusetts, led the research. She says earlier studies
showed that moderate amounts of alcohol may reduce the risk of heart
disease and stroke. But she says less research has been done on how
it may affect mental skills. This is one of the largest studies done
on the issue.
The researchers used information from more than twelve thousand
women in the Nurses' Health Study, a major project. All the women
were between the ages of seventy and eighty-one.
Beginning in nineteen eighty the women answered questions every
few years about their alcohol use. Then, starting in nineteen
ninety-five, they answered questions by telephone to test their
memory and reasoning skills.
Some researchers think alcohol increases good cholesterol, which
helps blood flow better to the brain. That may improve mental
skills.
The new study found similar results for all forms of alcoholic
drinks. But the study found no additional reduction in risk from
more than one glass a day.
The researchers note that other studies of women as well as men
have had similar findings about moderate alcohol use and mental
ability. But they also say that care should be taken in advising
even moderate use of alcohol. The scientists say more must be
learned about the effect of moderate alcohol use. But they point out
that the harmful effects of drinking too much are well established.
Too much alcohol can ruin lives, and families. It can cause liver
disease and harm the brain. It can also worsen other medical
conditions, and may increase the risk of some kinds of cancer.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia
Kirk. I'm Gwen Outen.