Regular meetings with friends, during which a person drinks an average glass of wine a day, reduce the risk of early death from senile dementia, in particular from Alzheimer’s disease, by 77%. Such data were obtained by scientists from the University of Southern Denmark.
Moderate alcohol consumption is known to reduce the chances of developing heart disease and stroke. However, in light of the evidence that alcohol negatively affects brain cells, its role in the development of senile dementia, or dementia, was considered unambiguously negative.
To test this situation, Danish doctors followed 321 patients for 12 months who were found to have early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers tracked the subjects’ health status and how often, how much, and with whom they consumed alcohol.
According to the results, the chances of dying from Alzheimer’s disease were equal in those who drank a lot or did not drink at all. And in the group who drank an average glass of wine a day, the risk of dying from dementia decreased by 77%.
At the same time, doctors believe that alcohol in itself does not improve brain function, but it does not harm it either. A large number of social contacts influenced the condition of patients much more strongly. That is, regular meetings with friends allow people to resist senile dementia.
Previously, a team of Scottish specialists received similar data: she was able to prove that 125 milliliters of wine drunk daily can prevent the development of dementia in older women. Meanwhile, among the panacea for Alzheimer’s disease, German researchers called daily walks, and American scientists called sleeping on their side.
