“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

     It's true that when People Magazine reports on a Neurology study, the original information likely comes from the trustworthy and independent American Academy of Neurology. Neurology stands as the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), a respected and established publication committed to clinical neurology research. The American Academy of Neurology is a professional, non-profit organization for neurologists and neuroscientists, holding a strong reputation within the medical community and operating independently of any government affiliation. While the Scientific Daily website may also present the same information, it functions as a secondary source, often collecting press releases and providing links back to the original research published in journals like Neurology. Therefore, the information in the People Magazine article can likely be traced back to the primary source in the Neurology journal, published by the reputable and non-governmental American Academy of Neurology.

Answer 2

While the claim is mostly true, this source is misleading due to its vague wording. According to Dementia UK, consuming 8 drinks per week does not directly "cause" dementia but rather increases the risk of developing dementia over the long term. While the claim about alcohol restricting blood flow is accurate, excessive drinking can also lead to brain shrinkage, particularly affecting areas related to memory. Additionally, the type of alcohol consumed plays a significant role—drinking lower-alcohol beverages like seltzers or beers (around 5% ABV) generally poses less risk compared to stronger drinks. Health experts recommend avoiding hard liquors like vodka and opting for lower-risk options such as certain wines. Overall, while regularly consuming 8 drinks a week can place you at a higher risk for dementia, the actual risk depends on the alcohol content and volume of each drink.

Dementia UK - Alcohol and Dementia

Alzheimer's Society - Reduce Your Risk of Dementia: Alcohol

Answer 3

While the claim is mostly true, this source is misleading due to its vague wording. According to Dementia UK, consuming 8 drinks per week does not directly "cause" dementia but rather increases the risk of developing dementia over the long term. While the claim about alcohol restricting blood flow is accurate, excessive drinking can also lead to brain shrinkage, particularly affecting areas related to memory. Additionally, the type of alcohol consumed plays a significant role—drinking lower-alcohol beverages like seltzers or beers (around 5% ABV) generally poses less risk compared to stronger drinks. Health experts recommend avoiding hard liquors like vodka and opting for lower-risk options such as certain wines. Overall, while regularly consuming 8 drinks a week can place you at a higher risk for dementia, the actual risk depends on the alcohol content and volume of each drink.

Dementia UK - Alcohol and Dementia

Alzheimer's Society - Reduce Your Risk of Dementia: Alcohol

Answer 4

I like that you made sure to trace the source back to the Neurology journal! One thing I wonder is whether just confirming that the source exists is enough to say the claim is "true." Did you look at what the actual Neurology article concluded? Sometimes news summaries, like People or Scientific Daily, oversimplify or exaggerate findings, so it might be important to check whether the original study actually said 8 drinks a week caused dementia, or if it was just associated with a higher risk.

Answer 5

The source you found does help prove that this claim is true. However it is not directly the link to where the information was originally found. If you solely look at the information on the originally link on People Magazine you will find that it is helpful. It is also a pretty reliable source.

Answer 6

This claim is true. Although people.com is not a reliable source their information is from the American Academy of Neurology that is a reliable academic source. Although 8 drinks can contribute to dementia this does not mean it will affect everyone the same. Men and Women of different ages, weight, overall health and genetics will tolerate alcohol differently. Therefor the exact number of drinks that can lead to dementia varies per person. The reason why 8 drinks of alcohol can lead to dementia is because alcohol affects the white matter in the brain that sends signals between the different regions of the brain leading to memory loss. Alcohol can also cause short term memory loss because of a lack of B1 in the body when drinking.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/how-alcohol-affects-your-body#:~:text=How%20much%20harm%20alcohol%20causes,play%20a%20part%20as%20well.

The good news about this claim is that according to the Alzheimer's Society if you drink alcohol at the recommended levels (two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women) your risk of dementia does not increase. 

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/alcohol#:~:text=Does%20alcohol%20increase%20the%20risk,an%20increased%20risk%20of%20dementia.

Answer 7

I agree with the claim, "As Little as 8 Alcoholic Drinks a week can Contribute to Dementia." The article you listed from the website, People got information from a reliable source. It mentioned the study author, "Alberto Fernando Oliveira Justo of the University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil." He is a knowledgeable person on the topic and did a whole study on it. The results had scientific evidence to back them up. The results of the study showed that people who drank more developed brain lesions that were associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's. And those who were heavy drinkers developed more brain injuries than moderate to non alcohol drinkers. Additionally, the data were from the scientific journal Neurology.

Source:

https://people.com/as-little-as-8-alcoholic-drinks-a-week-can-contribute-to-dementia-research-says-11712922

Answer 8

The initial claim of 8 alcoholic drinks a week can contribute to dementia is mostly true. According to the Alzheimer's Society, alcohol is proven to contribute to dementia, but that is in significant doses. “Alcohol consumption above recommended limits (of 14 units per week) over a long period of time may shrink the parts of the brain involved in memory.” (https://www.alzheimers.org) Drinking alcohol constantly for years clearly has a negative impact on the brain and can lead to dementia, but there is no concrete amount that will impact if you get dementia. The Washington Post did a study where they looked at deceased people over their 50s and categorized them based on the amount of alcohol consumption to see whether or not the brain was different in the individuals. These findings showed that yes, there is a difference, and in the heavy drinkers there were clear indications of brain change due to the alcohol. The initial statement of 8 alcoholic drinks a week can contribute to dementia is true, it does contribute, but it is unproven if that amount alone is enough for serious impact. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/04/19/alcohol-drinking-brain-injury-alzheimers/ https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/alcohol

Answer 9

I think the claim that “As Little as 8 Alcoholic Drinks a Week Can Contribute to Dementia, Research Says” is true. This claim was posted on People Magazine’s website, which included information from a study published in the journal Neurology. This journal is controlled by the American Academy of Neurology, which is a trusted medical organization that isn’t associated with the government. Even though People links to ScienceDaily, that site is not the primary source, it just summarizes research. By researching deeper, I discovered that the study came from researchers in Brazil and focused on brain autopsies. The results found that heavy drinkers had more brain damage linked to Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Other respected websites like Medical News Today and EatingWell also reported on the same study and backed up the findings. Based on all of the studies done, I think this claim is true.

https://people.com/as-little-as-8-alcoholic-drinks-a-week-can-contribute-to-dementia-research-says-11712922  

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409173113.htm#:~:text=FULL%20STORY-,Heavy%20drinkers%20who%20have%20eight%20or%20more%20alcoholic%20drinks%20per,the%20medical%20journal%20of%20the 

https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/home/PressRelease/5252 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-use-could-contribute-to-dementia-by-damaging-the-brain 

https://www.eatingwell.com/drinks-per-week-increase-dementia-risk-11715884 

Answer 10

The claim that as 'little as 8 alcoholic drinks can contribute to dementia' seems to be somewhat true. Several sources led me to an article posted by People Magazine, in which states several reasons why alcohol can have negative effects on not only a person's physical health, but mental health. This article quotes a study done by the scientific journal, Neurology, mentioning that drinking an excessive amount during a week can have substantial impacts on one's health. This study quotes many doctors and professors, who have expertise in neurology and how substances can affect our normal functions. Though this claim is true, there are some factors to take into consideration within the parameters of different situations. First off, everyone's body is different, and therefore handles substances such as alcohol very differently. Both men and women have different standards when it comes to alcohol and its consumption, making it important to know your limits- and not cross them. Overall, this claim is true making it an important thing to keep in mind!

sources: 

As Little as 8 Alcoholic Drinks a Week Can Contribute to Dementia: Research

Eight or more drinks per week linked to signs of injury in the brain | ScienceDaily