Alcohol intake and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort

Affiliations

¹ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: yg2121@columbia.edu.
² The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
³ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
⁶ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁷ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁸ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

PMID: 24011900
PMCID: PMC4048329
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.08.004

Alcohol intake and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort

Yian Gu et al. Clin Nutr. 2014 Aug.

. 2014 Aug;33(4):662-7.

doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.08.004. Epub 2013 Aug 21.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: yg2121@columbia.edu.
² The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
³ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
⁶ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁷ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
⁸ The Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; The Division of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

PMID: 24011900
PMCID: PMC4048329
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.08.004

Abstract

Background & aims: Evidence suggests that consuming light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol reduces the risk of dementia and is associated better cognitive function and less cardiovascular disease, relative to those consuming no or heavy alcohol. There are only minimal data on the association between alcohol and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers. This study aimed to examine the association between alcohol and brain structure measured with MRI.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, high-resolution structural MRI was collected on 589 multi-ethnic community residents of New York aged ≥65 with available alcohol intake assessments via a food frequency questionnaire. Total brain volume (TBV), white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), and presence of infarcts were derived from MRI scans with established methods. We examined the association of alcohol intake with these imaging markers using regression models adjusted for demographic, clinical, and vascular risk factors.

Results: Compared to non-drinking, light-to-moderate total alcohol (b = 0.007, p = 0.04) or wine (b = 0.008, p = 0.05) intake, but not beer or liquor intake, was associated with larger TBV. Further analysis showed a dose-response association between alcohol (p-trend = 0.03) or wine (p-trend = 0.006) and TBV. Overall, alcohol intake was not associated with WMHV or brain infarcts.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that among older adults in the community, light-to-moderate alcohol intake, in particular wine, is associated with larger TBV. These findings suggest that light to moderate alcohol consumption is potentially beneficial for brain aging, but replication is needed.

Keywords: Alcohol; Brain atrophy; Cerebrovascular disease; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Neuroepidemiology; Nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: The authors report no disclosures.

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Alcohol intake and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort

Affiliations

Alcohol intake and brain structure in a multiethnic elderly cohort

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Medical