A recent study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center concluded that moderate amounts of wine can help reduce your risk of dementia.
Scientists were trying to understand better the brain’s glymphatic system; this is the system the brain’s uses to cleanse itself of toxins. When the glymphatic system functions well, it removes two compounds – tau and beta-amyloid plaque—that are associated with various forms of dementia.
The study looked at the impact of varying doses of alcohol on the brains of mice. Mice exposed to larger amounts of alcohol developed higher levels of inflammation and impairment of cognitive abilities.
Animals exposed to low levels of alcohol, equivalent to approximately two drinks per day, showed less inflammation in the brain compared to control mice that were given no alcohol. In addition, their glymphatic systems were more efficient in removing waste than those of the control mice, and they saw no measurable impact on cognitive and motor tests.
Lead researcher, Dr. Maiken Nedergaard observed that the study demonstrated for the first time that low doses of alcohol can be beneficial to healthy brain function.
About the Author:
Lorenzo Mejia and his wife, Mary Lynn Ryerson, are the owners of Acorn, a caregiver registry located in Chapel Hill.
They founded Acorn based on their experiences caring for his mom, who suffered with Alzheimer’s Disease. In 2013, he became a Qualified Dementia Care Specialist. In 2014, the Alzheimer’s Foundation named him the Dementia Care Professional of the Year in the United States.
Lorenzo is the founder of Dementia Friendly Orange County an effort to make local businesses more accommodating to people with dementia.
Lorenzo speaks often on dementia and the challenges associated with caring for loved ones. He has been interviewed by ABC News and National Public Radio. He is an advisor to Orange County’s OC-CARES Dementia Capable Community Project.
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