Alcohol May Ward Off Alzheimer’s

There has been some speculation in the medical community as to a possible link between Alzheimer’s, omega-3 fatty acids, and alcohol. Some physicians and researchers have held the belief that Alzheimer’s could be treated or even prevented in patients taking supplements of docosahexenoic acid (DHA), which is an omega-3 fatty acid. It has also been hypothesized that a correlation exists between Alzheimer’s and alcohol use. A government study was conducted to ascertain the relationship between Alzheimer’s and omega-3 fatty acids, and a major university conducted research to determine the connection between Alzheimer’s and alcohol use. The findings that resulted from both of these studies may be surprising.

Over the course of 18 months, 400 random participants were given either a daily dose of DHA or a placebo. There was no reported difference between the group that received the daily placebo and the group that had a daily dose of DHA. The inference arising from this study is that there is no link between Alzheimer’s and DHA, which means that DHA does not effectively treat or prevent Alzheimer’s.

The affects of alcohol on Alzheimer’s is not as straightforward as the affects of DHA on Alzheimer’s. Of the more than 3000 individuals aged 75 or older that were interviewed regarding their alcohol use, those that drank two or fewer alcoholic beverages each day were 40 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. However, individuals that had already developed Alzheimer’s suffered further impairment when they consumed alcohol.

The conclusions that can be drawn from these studies at present is that there is no connection between Alzheimer’s and DHA and that alcohol may prevent the development of Alzheimer’s in individuals that have a past history of alcohol use but is not an effective treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.