“As Little as 8 Alcoholic Drinks a Week Can Contribute to Dementia, Research Says”

Question

This claim is TRUE:

The original article was published on the People Magazine website. It got its data from a study by the scientific journal Neurology. The link in the article leads to the Scientific Daily website, which holds the same information.

BUT…

The Scientific Daily website is not the primary source. If you go to that website, you can find a link to the Neurology article. The American Academy of Neurology is not associated with the government but is a reputable organization. 

Answer 1

This claim is true. It is linked to an article written on People.com, which tends to post articles regarding celebrities and entertainment, but references a study by the American Academy of Neurology. There has been a lot of information and studies done on this topic in the past few years, and they all seem to come to a similar conclusion. The article’s claim that 8 drinks a week can contribute to dementia is true, but it is necessary to understand that everyone’s body tolerates alcohol differently. Because of this, the current NHS guidelines advise both women and men to limit their alcohol intake to 14 units a week. Having over that amount weekly “is certainly linked to an increase in dementia risk, post-mortem reduction in brain volume and MRI signs of brain damage via possibly multiple pathways” (Wiegmann et al., 2020). It is also important to be aware that heavy drinking won't cause dementia in everyone; it will only speed up the process and potentially make dementia more damaging/ worse. Although in certain cases, alcohol abuse can cause dementia or other brain disorders if one gets alcohol related brain damage. 

Sources:

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/alcohol

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6957093/#abstract1