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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Jan 26, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Older women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol daily performed better on tests for cognitive function and dementia, U.S. researchers found.
Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center used data from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, a large national study to assess the effects of hormone replacement therapy on dementia and cognitive function.
They found that women who reported drinking alcohol one or more times daily scored higher on tests of cognitive function than women who reported drinking less. The woman who drank moderately also had a 40 percent lower risk of significant declines in cognitive function over time.
The researchers followed 4,461 of the women between 65 years and 79 years old for an average of 4.2 years with annual tests to detect mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia to confirm the study results.
Cognitive function includes concentration, language, memory and abstract reasoning. Dementia occurs when memory, judgment and thinking ability decline substantially, to the point of interfering with basic day-to-day activities.
Some cognitive problems are due to strokes and blocked blood vessels in the brain, and the researchers said alcohol may reduce the development of blood clots and increase blood flow, thereby improving cognition.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
