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Should A Person With Dementia Drink Alcohol

So What Is The Best Advice

Alcohol & Alzheimer’s Dementia Risk: Does Moderate Drinking Help Or Hurt?

The best advice is to follow the Chief Medical Officers low-risk guidelines. They state that men and women shouldnt regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. People who drink as much as this should spread their drinking over three or more days, but also have alcohol-free days each week.

The approximate number of units in examples of alcoholic drinks.

As well as limiting alcohol consumption, existing evidence points to a number of other lifestyle changes that can help people maintain a healthy brain for longer. These include not smoking, eating a balanced diet, staying mentally and physically active and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check. You can read more about reducing your risk of dementia in our leaflet.

If you are concerned about how alcohol might be affecting your health, charities like Alcohol Concern provide detailed information about the effects of drinking and your GP will be able to offer advice and sources of support.

Why Muscles Make Good Medicine

If you still see exercise as an optional extra, not a health essential, science is finding more reasons to change your mind including new research that suggests strong muscles are good medicine.

One of the most compelling findings of recent years is that muscles are actually a huge secretory organ and when we exercise them they release hormone-like chemicals that have a major influence on every system of the body, says Rob Newton, Foundation Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at Western Australias Edith Cowan University.

Doing aerobic exercise and ignoring strength exercises is like remembering to change the oil in the car but ignoring the transmission fluid.

What Should I Take Away From This Research

The link between alcohol and dementia in non-drinkers however is not fully understood and individuals who do not currently drink alcohol should not start as a method of protection against the development of dementia.

From the evidence collected to date, it is not possible to determine what effect drinking within the NHS recommended alcohol guidelines has on a person’s risk of dementia.

Guidelines recommend that alcohol consumption be reduced as much as possible, particularly in mid-life, to minimize the risk of developing other age-related conditions such as frailty. Current evidence indicates that adopting a healthy lifestyle throughout your life is the best way to reduce risk of dementia and other long-term health problems. This includes drinking in moderation but also other factors such as not smoking, taking plenty of physical exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet.

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Easy Red Berry Sangria

This red berry sangria is a delicious summer cocktail to share with friends, loaded with the free-radical fighting power of antioxidants! Plus I’m answering the question, ‘Is wine healthy?’;

This post was originally published May 2016 and has been updated.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I love a glass of wine in the evening. If you also love wine, welcome, and I’m raising a virtual glass to you! You may have read headlines that red wine is healthy, or that any alcohol is healthy, or the alcohol is unhealthy. Nutrition research is confusing that way. To clear the air, I’m answering the question, “Is wine healthy?” based on the current evidence. And as with every headline, there is usually more to the story and it will benefit you to do your research to make an informed decision for you, because one size does not fit all when it comes to nutrition!

And because I love my wine, and I like you guys, I’ve created a very summer-appropriate red berry sangria that combines the antioxidant power of red wine with the antioxidant power of berries and pomegranate juice, so that you can get your daily dose of antioxidants while you’re sharing a drink with your family and friends this summer!

Heavy Drinking And Dementia

Dementia: How much water you should drink to lower your ...

However, heavy drinking is more robustly linked to an increased risk of dementia. This appears to be for a number of reasons.

Firstly, when alcohol is broken down in the body, it produces acetaldehyde, which is toxic to brain cells. Heavy drinking can also lead to thiamine deficiency and, eventually, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which negatively impacts brain function.

Alcohol misuse is associated with other factors that can influence brain function, such as epilepsy and head injuries. On top of this, alcohol consumption raises the risk of vascular dementia due to its effect on the vascular system as a whole for instance, it increases blood pressure.

Although the above factors adequately explain why alcohol abuse and dementia may be linked, the exact size and scale of the issue is not clear.

Because heavy drinking often comes hand-in-hand with other dementia risk factors including smoking, depression, and low education levels cause and effect are difficult to tease apart.

Recently, researchers from the Translational Health Economics Network in Paris, France, set out to investigate the relationship between alcohol use disorders and early-onset dementia . Their results are published in

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What Makes Pomegranates Anti

The ability of pomegranates to quell neuroinflammation may be due to a compound called punicalagin, which has been well-studied for its ability to delay the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and Parkinsons. Now researchers are looking into how it could help fight Alzheimers by reducing inflammation in specific brain cells called microglia. Inflammation in microglia leads to destruction of other brain cells that can make dementia worse.

But heres the thing: Pomegranate juice also contains a fair amount of sugar, which isnt great for brain health. For this reason, I limited the amount in my Pomegranate Negroni to 3 tablespoons of juice per drink. I also made sure that our guests at the Wellness Retreat had a fiber-rich snack along with it to slow down the sugars absorption.

Studying Alcohol Intake And Dementia Risk

Sabia and colleagues examined 9,087 study participants who were aged between 35 and 55 at the beginning of the study.

The team assessed their alcohol consumption and potential dependence regularly using standard questionnaires and by looking at alcohol-related hospital admissions.

The researchers also examined hospital records for cases of dementia, as well as for any diagnoses of cardiometabolic conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes.

For the purposes of the study, anything over 14 standard U.K. alcohol units per week counted as heavy drinking. In the U.K., a standard glass of wine counts as 1 unit of alcohol, and 14 weekly units is the maximum threshold for what is considered harmful drinking.In the U.S., the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that men should not drink more than two drinks per day and women should not exceed one drink per day.

The average follow-up period for the study was 23 years. During this time, 397 people developed dementia. Sabia and team accounted for various sociodemographic factors that may have influenced the results.

The findings revealed that both abstaining from alcohol in midlife and drinking heavily raised the risk of dementia when compared with light-to-moderate drinking.

More specifically, alcohol-related hospital admissions raised the risk of dementia by fourfold.

Long-term abstinence, on the other hand, also correlated with a higher risk of dementia, due to a higher incidence of cardiometabolic conditions.

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Alcohol May Help Prevent Dementia

Study Suggests Moderate Drinking May Lower Risk of Dementia

March 2, 2011 — Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol may protect against dementia, according to a new study in the journal Age and Ageing.

Among Germans aged 75 and older, those who drank two to three drinks a day decreased their risk of dementia by as much as 60% percent compared to those who abstained.

German researchers followed more than 3,000 people across Germany for three years. At the time that the study began, none had been diagnosed with any form of dementia. Each study participant — or, in the case of illness or death, their doctor, caregiver, or other family member — was interviewed and assessed at home at the beginning of the study, 18 months later, and a final time at the three-year mark. At the end, data were available for all but 49 of the original study participants.

During those three years, 217 cases of dementia were diagnosed, including 111 cases of Alzheimerâs disease. Those who drank alcohol were 29% less likely to have dementia compared to those who did not drink alcohol.

So What’s The Link With Dementia

Encouraging Eating & Drinking for People with Dementia

Research shows that heavy drinking can increase the risk of developing dementia.

Alcohol abuse is toxic to the brain and can damage memory. It has also been shown to accelerate vascular brain damage. In other words, it’s bad for your brain.

The Lancet Public Health has published new research from France on more than one million adults with dementia. Researchers found that being hospitalised with alcohol dependence or a health issue caused by continuous heavy drinking was a strong risk factor for the progressive brain condition, especially in the under-65s.

Their risk of dementia was three times greater than other people’s.

But it’s difficult to know whether it was a direct cause or just one factor among many.

Heavy drinkers are more likely to be smokers, have depression and lead unhealthy lives, which increases the risk of dementia.

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Is There Treatment Available

At an early stage of the disease, problems may be reduced or reversed if the person abstains from alcohol, improves their diet and replace vitamins especially thiamine and vitamin B1. Thiamine is important to limit some of the toxic effects of alcohol, and is an important supplement for heavy drinkers.

Community support is available for the person with dementia, their family and carers. This support can make a positive difference to managing dementia.

Many people who develop alcohol related dementia are young, and this can mean that they and their family and carers will need extra consideration. It may be helpful to talk to a counsellor at Dementia Australia. Contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.

What Is Alcohol Related Dementia

Alcohol related dementia, as the name suggests, is a form of dementia related to the excessive drinking of alcohol. This affects memory, learning and other mental functions. Korsakoffs syndrome and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are particular forms of alcohol related brain injury which may be related to alcohol related dementia.

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Dementia: Expert Discusses The Signs And Symptoms

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Dementia could be prevented in middle-aged and elderly people with a small daily tipple, its been claimed. Scientists have found eight alcoholic drinks a week for women and 15 for men can reduce the rate of cognitive decline and improve mental health and word recall. Results also showed those who drink smaller amounts of alcohol each week also benefit, suggesting drinking in moderation is key.

What Is The Cause

Dementia signs and symptoms: How many glasses of water ...

It is currently unclear as to whether alcohol has a direct toxic effect on the brain cells, or whether the damage is due to lack of thiamine, vitamin B1.Nutritional problems, which often accompany consistent or episodic heavy use of alcohol, are thought to be contributing factors. Key parts of the brain may suffer damage through vitamin deficiencies, particularly marked levels of thiamine deficiency and the direct effect that alcohol has on the absorption and use of thiamine.

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Alcohol And Alzheimers: New Study Shows Link Between Alcohol And The Disease

  • /
  • Alcohol And Alzheimers

  • There has been some;controversy over whether drinking alcohol has detrimental effects on brain health. Some studies indicate that drinking small amounts may be part of a brain-healthy diet, while other studies show that even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk for Alzheimers disease.

    The latest alcohol and Alzheimers study reveals that;it may interrupt the bodys natural ability to clear amyloid plaques from the brain. Read more about the research and the link between alcohol and the disease.

    Moderate Drinking Tied To Lower Levels Of Alzheimers Brain Protein

    Compared with abstainers, those who drank up to 13 standard drinks a week had a 66 percent lower rate of beta amyloid deposits in their brains.

    By Nicholas Bakalar

    Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced levels of beta amyloid, the protein that forms the brain plaques of Alzheimers disease, a new study suggests.

    Korean researchers studied 414 men and women, average age 71, who were free of dementia or alcohol-related disorders. All underwent physical exams, tests of mental acuity, and PET and M.R.I. scans. They were carefully interviewed about their drinking habits.

    The study, in PLOS Medicine, measured drinking in standard drinks 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or one-and-a-half ounces of hard liquor. Compared with abstainers, those who drank one to 13 standard drinks a week had a 66 percent lower rate of beta amyloid deposits in their brains.

    The results applied only to those who drank moderately for decades, and not to those who recently began drinking moderately or drank more than 13 drinks a week.

    The study controlled for age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, body mass index, vascular health and many other factors.

    Dr. Dong Young Lee, the senior author and a professor of psychiatry at Seoul National University College of Medicine, cautioned that this was an observational study that looked at people at one point in time, and does not prove cause and effect.

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    Dementia: Both Too Much And Too Little Alcohol May Raise Risk

    Some studies have suggested that drinking alcohol in moderation lowers the risk of dementia, but the evidence may have been prone to certain biases. A new study follows more than 9,000 people over a 23-year period to draw robust conclusions on the link between alcohol consumption and dementia risk.

    As the world population grows increasingly older, more and more people are at risk of developing dementia.

    In fact, according to recent estimates, almost 50 million people worldwide are currently living with dementia, and this number is expected to double every 2 decades, reaching over 130 million by 2050.

    In the United States, 5.7 million Americans are thought to have Alzheimers disease, and experts estimate that by 2050, this number will have reached 14 million.

    In this context, research into the risk factors for developing dementia is vital. From a lack of physical activity to high blood pressure and even sleep troubles, the range of dementia risk factors that are being uncovered by the latest studies is varied.

    But what about alcohol? Some studies have suggested that moderate alcohol intake may have protective effects on the brain, whereas excessive consumption is thought to raise the risk of dementia.

    However, most of these studies have looked only at alcohol intake in later life, without accounting for the lifetime consumption. Such an approach may have skewed the results.

    Dementia And Alcohol Is There A Connection

    Is alcohol the leading cause of dementia?

    Most people associate dementia and diseases like Alzheimers with ageing. But the association between dementia and heavy long-term alcohol use is less known.1

    Dementia refers to a range of symptoms and diseases that affect brain function. Its the second leading cause of death in Australia, after heart disease.2

    The causes of dementia are not fully known. However, ageing, smoking, high cholesterol and blood pressure, poor diet, cardiovascular disease and diabetes all increase your risk.1

    Heavy and frequent alcohol use can cause many chronic health conditions, including Alzheimers disease, cancers, heart disease and diabetes. It can also cause alcohol-related dementia.3

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    Lifestyle Intervention Beats Diet For Weight Loss: 6 Simple Changes To Make Today

    Changes in lifestyle, not diet types, are the true ways to prevent weight gain and the associated ills of diabetes and circulatory disease.

    ;Here are six simple lifestyle changes you can make to get you on the road to permanent weight loss.

    1. Practice portion control. As an advocate for portion control, watching how much you eat is one of the best ways to lose weight. I have been counseling clients for years, and I have seen in my private practice that when clients watch the sizes of their portions , they shave hundreds of calories daily, and lose weight effortlessly. While it may seem obvious that larger portions have more calories than smaller portions, most people dont recognize just how many more calories a large portion contains.

    Another advantage to practicing portion control is that you do not have to cut out entire food groups to get thin and you get to indulge in your favorite treat every now and then. No dieting and no deprivation.

    2. Think positive.

    4. Eat structured meals and snacks. Speaking of nibbling and mindless munching, one advantage to eating structured meals and snacks is that you tend to get famished less often. And when we are famished, we tend to just grab whatever food is in sight. And, we also often end up grabbing junk food. Planning in advance is also important. Keep healthy foods at arms reach and bring along a fruit and yogurt if you know that it will be hard to buy something healthy midafternoon.

    This article was written by;

    Alcohol Not Only Contains A Lot Of Calories But It Changes The Way Your Whole Body Processes Food

    By;Yasmin Noone It doesnt matter what alcohol you drink, whether its a light vodka and tonic with a squeeze of lime or a hearty glass of red wine, alcohol is the sworn enemy of weight loss regimes.

    Most weight loss programs shun the demon drink but what makes it so damaging to our waistlines?

    asks;Dr Xand van Tulleken;in episode five of;The Diet Testers, airing on SBS on Thursday 29 March at 8.35pm.

    Apparently, the real issue with alcohol is that it alters the way our body processes food.

    In a bid to understand what the real issue with alcohol is, Dr Xand joins;Dr Vinood Patel, biochemist at University of Westminster, to investigate the underlying mechanisms that determine weight gain from alcohol consumption.

    Apparently, the real issue with alcohol is that it alters the way our body processes food.

    Alcohol is absorbed by the stomach and goes to the liver, says Dr Patel on;The Diet Testers.

    The liver is central to metabolism: carbohydrates, protein and fat metabolism all occurs in the liver. But we dont have a mechanism for storing alcohol. Its like a toxin and it has to be cleared. So then the metabolism of fat and sugars has to wait until we can clear all the alcohol first.

    Alcohol is absorbed by the stomach and goes to the liver.

    Because fat is so slow to break down, when sugar is added to , it jumps the metabolism queue and burns first, ahead of the fat, Dr Xand says.

    Episodes will be available to watch after broadcast on;SBS On Demand.;

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