Binge Your Way to Dementia

Binge drinking is common among college students and other young adults, but the middle-aged aren’t immune to the temptation – at least in Finland. Doctors at the University of Helsinki examined over 550 65-year-olds who had provided information 25 years previously on their drinking habits, when they were 40.

Just over 100 of the subjects had developed dementia. Binge drinking was defined as drinking more than 5 bottles of beer or a bottle of wine at least once a month. Binge drinkers at age 40 were over 3 times as likely to develop dementia as non-bingers.

Passing out from alcohol was assessed when the subjects were about 55. Passing out at least twice in the previous year was linked to a ten-fold increase in the risk of dementia being diagnosed ten years later.

You have been warned! Alcohol in small amounts taken regularly, is quite healthy – numerous studies support this. But large quantities damage your health, and now, it seems, so do occasional binges.