Any amount of alcohol consumption may increase the risk of dementia, according to a recent study. "Our findings challenge the common belief that low levels of alcohol are beneficial for brain health," said lead author Anya Topiwala, PhD, of Oxford University. "Genetic evidence offers no support for a protective effect - in fact, it suggests the opposite. Even light or moderate drinking may increase the risk of dementia, indicating that reducing alcohol consumption across the population could play a significant role in dementia prevention.”

The researchers combined observational data from more than half a million participants in two large and diverse population studies -- the US Million Veteran Program and UK Biobank -- to assess whether self-reported alcohol use was linked with a risk of developing a broad range of types of dementia.

They also investigated links between genetically-predicted likelihood of drinking alcohol and alcohol use disorder for more than 2.4 million participants in 45 individual studies.

Genetic analyses revealed a continuously increasing trend of higher dementia risk with greater alcohol intakes, suggesting that any level of alcohol consumption increases the risk of dementia, with no evidence that drinking alcohol may have a protective effect;

A doubled increase in a person’s genetically-predicted risk of alcohol use disorder was associated with a 16% higher risk of dementia, while a three times higher increase in the number of alcoholic drinks per week increased the risk of dementia risk by 15%.

“This study adds to growing evidence that alcohol use, even at moderate levels, may have no safe threshold when it comes to brain health, reinforcing the case for preventive strategies that reduce alcohol consumption in the general population,” the authors conclude.

To read the study, published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, click here

https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/09/16/bmjebm-2025-113913