Relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia among older adults

Prior research is mixed concerning the association between alcohol consumption and dementia. The authors of a recent study suggest that genetic causal inference approaches may help elucidate the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia.
A two-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed using harmonized, genome-wide significant and independent single nucleotide polymorphisms’ (SNPs) summary statistics from the largest publicly available meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of weekly alcohol consumption and late onset dementia.
Of 99 SNPs associated with weekly alcoholic drink consumption and 71 SNPs associated with late onset Alzheimer’s disease, 59 overlapping and harmonized SNPs met instrument selection criteria. The researchers did not observe evidence of a relationship between alcohol consumption and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease using the inverse variance weighted two-sample Mendelian randomization estimator (OR = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI):[0.78, 1.72]), nor with complementary estimators. In HRS, Mendelian randomization revealed no relationship between cumulative genetic alcohol consumption risk and cognitive impairment without dementia (African ancestry sample (n = 2,402, OR = 0.86, 95% CI:[0.47, 1.58]); European ancestry sample (n = 9,576, OR = 0.96, 95% CI:[0.86, 1.07])) and dementia in the African ancestry sample (n = 1,908, OR = 0.50, 95% CI:[0.13, 2.00]). Alcohol consumption genetic risk was inversely associated with dementia in the European ancestry sample (n = 8,518, OR = 0.77, 95% CI:[0.62, 0.95]).
The results largely suggest there is no causal relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia. The researchers comment that the protective association observed between alcohol consumption and dementia among those of European ancestry in an aging American cohort may be due to genetic pleiotropy and/or selection bias in the empirical sample within the Health and Retirement Study.
Source: Campbell, K.A., Fu, M., MacDonald, E., Zawistowski, M., Ware, E.B. and Bakulski, K.M. (2022), Relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia with Mendelian randomization approaches among older adults in the United States. Alzheimer’s Dement., 18: e062756. doi.org/10.1002/alz.062756
Relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia among older adults
Prior research is mixed concerning the association between alcohol consumption and dementia. The authors of a recent study suggest that genetic causal inference approaches may help elucidate the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia.
A two-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed using harmonized, genome-wide significant and independent single nucleotide polymorphisms’ (SNPs) summary statistics from the largest publicly available meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of weekly alcohol consumption and late onset dementia.
Of 99 SNPs associated with weekly alcoholic drink consumption and 71 SNPs associated with late onset Alzheimer’s disease, 59 overlapping and harmonized SNPs met instrument selection criteria. The researchers did not observe evidence of a relationship between alcohol consumption and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease using the inverse variance weighted two-sample Mendelian randomization estimator (OR = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI):[0.78, 1.72]), nor with complementary estimators. In HRS, Mendelian randomization revealed no relationship between cumulative genetic alcohol consumption risk and cognitive impairment without dementia (African ancestry sample (n = 2,402, OR = 0.86, 95% CI:[0.47, 1.58]); European ancestry sample (n = 9,576, OR = 0.96, 95% CI:[0.86, 1.07])) and dementia in the African ancestry sample (n = 1,908, OR = 0.50, 95% CI:[0.13, 2.00]). Alcohol consumption genetic risk was inversely associated with dementia in the European ancestry sample (n = 8,518, OR = 0.77, 95% CI:[0.62, 0.95]).
The results largely suggest there is no causal relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia. The researchers comment that the protective association observed between alcohol consumption and dementia among those of European ancestry in an aging American cohort may be due to genetic pleiotropy and/or selection bias in the empirical sample within the Health and Retirement Study.
Source: Campbell, K.A., Fu, M., MacDonald, E., Zawistowski, M., Ware, E.B. and Bakulski, K.M. (2022), Relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia with Mendelian randomization approaches among older adults in the United States. Alzheimer’s Dement., 18: e062756. doi.org/10.1002/alz.062756
Relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia among older adults
Prior research is mixed concerning the association between alcohol consumption and dementia. The authors of a recent study suggest that genetic causal inference approaches may help elucidate the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia.
A two-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed using harmonized, genome-wide significant and independent single nucleotide polymorphisms’ (SNPs) summary statistics from the largest publicly available meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies of weekly alcohol consumption and late onset dementia.
Of 99 SNPs associated with weekly alcoholic drink consumption and 71 SNPs associated with late onset Alzheimer’s disease, 59 overlapping and harmonized SNPs met instrument selection criteria. The researchers did not observe evidence of a relationship between alcohol consumption and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease using the inverse variance weighted two-sample Mendelian randomization estimator (OR = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI):[0.78, 1.72]), nor with complementary estimators. In HRS, Mendelian randomization revealed no relationship between cumulative genetic alcohol consumption risk and cognitive impairment without dementia (African ancestry sample (n = 2,402, OR = 0.86, 95% CI:[0.47, 1.58]); European ancestry sample (n = 9,576, OR = 0.96, 95% CI:[0.86, 1.07])) and dementia in the African ancestry sample (n = 1,908, OR = 0.50, 95% CI:[0.13, 2.00]). Alcohol consumption genetic risk was inversely associated with dementia in the European ancestry sample (n = 8,518, OR = 0.77, 95% CI:[0.62, 0.95]).
The results largely suggest there is no causal relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia. The researchers comment that the protective association observed between alcohol consumption and dementia among those of European ancestry in an aging American cohort may be due to genetic pleiotropy and/or selection bias in the empirical sample within the Health and Retirement Study.
Source: Campbell, K.A., Fu, M., MacDonald, E., Zawistowski, M., Ware, E.B. and Bakulski, K.M. (2022), Relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia with Mendelian randomization approaches among older adults in the United States. Alzheimer’s Dement., 18: e062756.