Association of Alcohol Consumption with Cognition and Functionality in Older Adults Aged 75+Years: The Piet Study

The relationship between alcohol consumption and cognition is still controversial. This is a cross-sectional population-based study conducted in Caete (MG), Brazil, where 602 individuals aged 75+ years, 63.6% female, and with a mean education of 2.68 years, were submitted to thorough clinical assessments and categorized according to the number of alcoholic beverages consumed weekly. The prevalence rates of previous and current alcohol consumption were 34.6% and 12.3%, respectively. No association emerged between cognitive diagnoses and current/previous alcohol consumption categories. Considering current alcohol intake as a dichotomous variable, the absence of alcohol consumption was associated with dementia (OR = 2.34; 95%CI: 1.39-3.90) and worse functionality (p = 0.001). Previous consumption of cachaca (sugar cane liquor) increased the risk of dementia by 2.52 (95%CI: 1.25-5.04). The association between the consumption of cachaca and dementia diagnosis has not been described before. La relation entre l'alcool et la cognition est encore controversee. II s'agit d'une etude transversale populationnelle menee au Caete (MG), Bresil ou 602 personnes agees de 75+ ans, 63.6% femmes et avec une education moyenne de 2.68 ans, ont ete soumises a des evaluations cliniques detaillees et classees face au nombre de boissons alcooliques consommees par semaine. Les prevalences de consommation d'alcool anterieure/actuelle etaient de 34.6% et 12.3%, respectivement. Aucune association n'a emerge entre les diagnostics cognitifs et la consommation d'alcool. L'absence de consommation actuelle d'alcool etait associee a la demence (OR = 2.34; IC a 95%: 1.39-3.90) et a une pire fonctionnalite (p = 0.001). La consommation anterieure de cachaca (liqueur de canne a sucre) a augmente la chance du diagnostic de demence de 2.52 (IC a 95%: 1.25-5.04). Cette association entre la consommation de cachaca et demence n'a pas ete registre auparavant.