“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

Recent studies have shown that consuming as few as eight alcoholic drinks per week can significantly increase the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. A study published in Neurology analyzed 1,781 brain autopsies and found that individuals who consumed eight or more alcoholic drinks per week had a 133% increased likelihood of developing hyaline arteriolosclerosis, a condition linked to cognitive impairments. Supporting these findings, research using genetic data from the UK Biobank found a clear association between higher alcohol intake and an increased dementia risk. The study concluded there may be no safe alcohol consumption threshold when considering dementia (Zhang et al.). Though earlier research suggested moderate drinking might protect against cognitive decline, recent evidence challenges this. A study of older adults published in JAMA Network Open found no clear cognitive benefit from moderate alcohol intake. Instead, consistent low-level drinking patterns appeared safer than sporadic heavier drinking (Koch et al.). Further, a systematic review emphasized the harmful impact of heavy drinking (>14 units/week) on brain volume and cognitive health, underscoring that even moderate drinking may pose risks (Rehm et al.).

• "As Few as 8 Drinks a Week Could Increase Brain Damage Linked to Dementia, Study Finds." The Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/04/19/alcohol-drinking-brain-injury-alzheimers/.

• Zhang, Ruiyuan, et al. "Genetically Predicted Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Dementia: Evidence from Mendelian Randomisation." EClinicalMedicine, The Lancet, vol. 70, 1 Mar. 2024, www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00389-4/fulltext.

• Koch, Magdalena, et al. "Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Dementia and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults with or without Mild Cognitive Impairment." JAMA Network Open, vol. 2, no. 9, 27 Sept. 2019, jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2752097

• Rehm, Jürgen, et al. "Alcohol Use and Dementia: A Systematic Scoping Review." Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, vol. 11, no. 1, 5 Dec. 2019, PMC, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6957093/.

Answer 2

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

Comments

Your factcheck was done so well as you made sure to add direct quotes from the sources. I also enjoyed how you added the fact that alcohol can affect each person differently. Therefore, it is safe to stay below the 14 unit limit each week in order to not increase any risks. Your sources are very well trusted and lay out all their information very clearly.

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You’ve made some great points here, especially about the need to consider individual tolerance when discussing alcohol’s effects. However, it might be useful to clarify that while the 14 units per week guideline is a good reference, it’s not a hard threshold, some studies suggest that even lower levels of alcohol consumption over time can still pose a risk to brain health, depending on various factors like genetics and overall health.

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I appreciate how you used your findings to back up your reasoning. The sources you found are reliable and and have good research. I am interested in how alcohol can effect your brain more in the long way.

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Your statement is very well written, I liked how you included a couple different sources both of which backed up your claim.  I like how you made sure to include people's tolerance differences and how heavy drinking won't necessarily cause dementia in everyone.

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I like that you cited two different articles that both seem pretty reliable and relevant to the claim. I also like how you agreed with the original claim, but also added some more information. I also answered this question and included the fact that drinking in moderation is not linked to dementia at all.

Answer 3

People Magazines generalized claim that "As little as 8 alcoholic drinks a week can contribute to dementia" (https://people.com/as-little-as-8-alcoholic-drinks-a-week-can-contribute-to-dementia-research-says-11712922) is true in that it is not claiming any specific data that has not been proven. People's initial source was not a very strong one, so I proceeded to check that sources source. After doing some research on this one, I was not convinced that it was reliable.

It was from here that I decided to seek out a government source that listed the exact details of the experiment on the link between heavy drinking and dementia . The conclusion states that 14 drinks a week is clearly linked to dementia (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6957093/). However a single "drink" varies in the amount of alcohol consumed and I don't believe that People Magazine's claim is too different from these scientific meanings to be misleading or false. Generally, drinking everyday of the week is correlated with dementia.

Additionally, Alzheimers Society (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/alcohol) claims that alcohol consumption is linked to brain matter that is responsible for brain signal function. As a result, heavy alcohol consumption is linked to memory loss. However, this source claims that 28 drinks per week is considered heavy drinking whereas the previous sources claim that 14 drinks is enough to cause damage. The exact amount of alcohol that is associated with brain damage and dementia varies across different informants. 

Comments

Edit*
Souces:
government source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6957093/

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I like how you were critical of People Magazine as a source — it’s true that entertainment magazines don’t always offer detailed scientific info. Still, you mentioned the claim is “true,” so maybe adding more direct support from the *Neurology* study or the American Academy of Neurology would help solidify your fact-check.

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You did a great job of really digging deep to find the correct information. I had the same thought that while the idea that regular alcohol consumption can lead to dementia, it can be hard to put an exact number on it. You also put it very clearly that while there may be some misleading parts about the claim, you still supported the idea that alcohol is correlated with dementia.

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I like how you explained your process with this fact check. People magazine does seem untrustworthy when it comes to scientific studies as they are not a science magazine nor did they publish or have anything to do with the study, so I liked that you commented on that. It would have been nice if you dove a little deeper and found some more concrete evidence from the primary source to back up your claim, though.

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I really liked how you did more research and tried to find a government source. I really think this made your claim more credible.

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You’ve made some good points about checking the sources and their reliability. However, it’s important to note that the link between alcohol and dementia is more complicated than just counting drinks. While 14 drinks a week is often mentioned as a risk, things like how often someone drinks, their drinking habits, and their overall health also play a role in dementia risk. Also, different sources may define "heavy drinking" in different ways, so it’s helpful to clarify what each study means when discussing alcohol consumption.

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I like how critical you were on both ends, and I like how you dug deeper than most to find the most ligical and factual information.

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Your fact-check accurately identifies inconsistencies regarding alcohol amounts linked to dementia across sources, rightly highlighting that definitions of "heavy drinking" vary (8 vs. 14 vs. 28 drinks/week). People's generalized claim isn't false, but lacks precise scientific clarity.

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I thought this was a really good response and I appreciate how you checked the credibility of the original source. I appreciated how you broke down the variables and the amount of drinks considered to be linked to things such as dementia. Many people are unaware of how much alcohol has an affect on their brain. I also credit you for going to other sources to back up the credibility of the original source. Also, good job of mentioning how the amount of alcohol varies depending on the person because that does matter, not all bodies are the same and everyone all reacts to alcohol or other things in life differently.

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Great answer! I love how you were critical with your sources even if you agreed with the points they were making. It is important to hold an open mind to all sources we may be exposed to. To go along with this, I love how you included more that 2 sources in your research- this shows your thorough intent to fact-check this claim! I would love to hear more of your own personal thoughts imbedded in this answer, I believe that provides another perspective to the fact and its reliability.

Answer 4

The statement that "As little as 8 alcoholic drinks a week can contribute to dementia" appears to be true. After looking at scientific daily's website it seems to be a trustworthy site, and it makes sense that alcohol does damage to the brain. In another website I looked at, it said that alcohol-related dementia, or alcohol-induced major neurocognitive disorder, is a serious type of brain damage and is caused by long-term heavy drinking. This condition results in various cognitive issues, including memory loss, trouble focusing, and difficulties with making decisions and managing emotions. So yes, drinking too much alcohol for a long time can lead to both physical and functional harm to the brain, impacting memory, awareness of surroundings, and decision-making skills. A study from 2022 revealed that people who drank three units of alcohol every day for a month experienced a decrease in both white and gray matter in their brains, making them seem about three and a half years older.

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

Alcoholic Dementia: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Comments

This comment is very educational and straight to the point. I think your answer was very fitting to the claim, and I liked that you did research about other effects of heavy drinking. It supported your answer and gave it more credibility. But next time, to go even further with that credibility, talk more about where the information you found came from and how those sites and trustworthy, primarily without using phrases like "it seems" or "it makes sense". Instead strong language like "which is" and "which connects to"

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I like that you went to multiple different sources to come to a conclusion here. You also took facts directly from these sources, which makes your fact check easy to understand and more credible. The only thing you could improve upon is researching the sources themselves and seeing if the sites are accredited and trustworthy. Otherwise, great job.

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I liked how you included the sources and evidence supporting your alcohol claim. Include multiple studies within your claim.

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I agree with your fact check, but I'd recommend adding a bit more detail. While it's true that heavy drinking can damage the brain, it’s important to mention that the specific risk from drinking 8 drinks a week can vary based on other factors like genetics and overall health. The study you referenced shows brain damage from daily drinking, but it would be helpful to clarify if the same applies to moderate drinking like 8 drinks a week. Also, while ScienceDaily is a good source, it might be helpful to back up your point with peer-reviewed studies for even stronger evidence.

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I love how concise and to-the-point your comment is, however, I would love to see more specific examples and/or quotations to back up your claim. This being said, I do agree and appreciate the educational tone to your answer. I appreciate how clear each one of your points is, however, using more sophisticated language could help propel that even more. Overall, great comment!!

Answer 5

This claim is true, but with important context. The article on People.com references findings from a study published by the American Academy of Neurology. According to the study, consuming even moderate amounts of alcohol, like 8 drinks a week, is associated with increased risks of brain shrinkage and cognitive decline over time.

http://(https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/PressRelease/4955

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6957093/

Comments

I like how you expanded on the claim of dementia, explaining the effects that are caused from drinking. It would be interesting to hear more connecting how cognitive decline can be interlinked, like time frames and correlation!

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I really liked how you explained how the People.com had more sources which made them see more credible.

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I totally agree; I think when it comes to a claim like that making sure that magazines and articles be super specific on who they are quoting and where they are getting their sources from. Especially, if they talking about consuming specifically 8 drinks of alcohol or moderately 8 drinks of alcohol. I really like how you make that point and try to let them know that context and specifics are true!

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I like how you expanded on the answer more than just a yes or no answer, and I appreciate how you fact-checked the article. I believe you should've also added in there that drinking in moderate amounts (1-5 drinks a week) is not fully linked to dementia right now. But that could always change with a newer study.

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I think you did a good job mentioning that there’s important context to the claim. One thing you could add to make your claim even stronger is a quick explanation of how the risk increases over time, not just immediately after drinking 8 drinks a week. Also, fixing the link would help people find the study faster. Overall, you made it clear that even moderate drinking isn’t harmless, which matches what the research shows.

Answer 6

I think this is a true and trustworthy claim and source. Firstly, this article was published by people magazine, which is a very reputable source with a high reputation. The title was accurate, there was publishing information and author credibility right on the front, which leads me to believe that this is a good source for educational purposes. In my proof, I found another article similar to this one, from a medically published source called "Medical News Today". The article is very similar to the one above, who created a study regarding how alchohol affects our health and brain. The study proved that "heavy drinkers were spcifically at 133% increased risk for hyaline arteriolosclerosis. Heavy and former heavy drinkers were also at an increased risk for neurofibrillary tangles, which are related to Alzheimers disease pathology" (Freeborn 2025). THhs article proves the statement that alcohol is indeed linked towards dimentia and alzheimers.  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-use-could-contribute-to-dementia-by-damaging-the-brain

Comments

Good job on bringing in another source, Medical News Today, to back up the article of People.com. I agree with the information you got from a credible source like Medical News Today. However, I would suggest reconsidering the reputation of People Magazine, as they prioritize entertainment over news. I believe this is reflected in the more data found from Medical News Today compared to the lack of data in People Magazine.

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I like how you talked about the source used being very reputable and accurate. I also like how at the end you went more into detail about the effects on the brain and overall health

Answer 7

The People website tends to be centered around celebrity bias which makes me believe that this source can't entirely be trusted. They report on drama and gossip and sometimes report news that hasn't been fact checked beforehand. But after reading this article about 8 drinks per week leading the dementia I was able to see that respectable sources were cited and mentioned to back up the claims being made. There were many true claims made about how drinking heavily can lead to brain injuries later on in life. It was stated that in the study done by Neurology that they investigated the brain tissue of those who had drinking problems and are now dead. The scientific facts show that drinking more leads to potential brain lesions which make it harder for blood to flow and your brain to function. Basic functions like retaining memories and thinking in general start to diminish which essentially leads to dementia forming. Everything stated was true and backed up with a scientific article but claiming that more than 8 drinks per week leads to dementia was slightly fabricated. In an article published by Alzheimer's Society it was proven that the true number of drinks per week that can lead to dementia is around 14 or more. They also state that this isn't a direct effect of drinking this much but is simply an increased chance of getting dementia. By drinking less than this amount per week you would be lowering your chances of this happening. I think that the original statement made wasn't entirely true but still had reliable sources to make up the other facts mentioned.

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/alcohol#:~:text=This%20can%20lead%20to%20issues,skills%20as%20people%20get%20older.

Comments

I really appreciated that you mentioned that the People website can't be trusted on all its own and that it tends to adhere to celebrity bias. I also liked how you mention that it's actually 14 or more drinks instead of just 8. I also liked how you pointed out that drinking this much isn't a direct link to dementia, but it just increases your chances of getting it. Maybe next time you can go a bit deeper into how the site you used is more credible than the one in the original post, and maybe try to find a few more. Awesome job though!

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I like how you pointed out that People Magazine isn’t always the most reliable source and that it’s important to check where their information comes from. It's also interesting how you brought in the Alzheimer’s Society for extra context about the number of drinks related to dementia risk. However, the Neurology study specifically found that even moderate drinking caused detectable brain changes, even if it doesn’t guarantee dementia. It could be good to clarify that difference that brain damage starts earlier, even if full dementia risk rises more sharply at 14 drinks or more.

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I agree that usually the People website is not the most credible information, since it is usually about news on celebrities or some type of drama. However, this article had credible references, it referenced the scientific journal of Neurology. And listed scientific evidence that backs up the claim. It is mentioned that heavy drinking increases the lesions. An increase in drinking causes more lesions and therefore affects memory.

Then, the other source you provided, the Alzheimer's Society, is also credible. It showed that heavy drinking can shrink the part of your brain that is responsible for memory and increase the risk of dementia. Then it also mentioned that some people with heavy drinkers lack vitamin B1, which affects memory.

Sources:
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/alcohol#:~:text=This%20can%20lead%20to%20issues,skills%20as%20people%20get%20older.

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

Answer 8

Although many individuals react to alcohol differently, excessive alcohol that stays in your bloodstream may be harmful. According to the Alzheimers society, ARBD or alcohol-related brain damage is very common. Although this is true, many individuals will only obtain this while consistently drinking alcohol weeks on end, especially for years. Additionally, the NHS recommends to not drink over 14 units per week which is similar to 6 drinks. With on going consumption, alcohol starts to limit communication and physical functions of the brain. Therefore, this is only true when the 8 drinks is repeated over many weeks even years or exceeds 8 drinks in a week for more than one week as well.

Sources: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/alcohol-related-brain-damage-arbd

Comments

I used the People's website which tens to have bias and not generally a trustworthy source but I was able to find credible information and trustworthy sources within this topic. It is true that 8 drinks per week causes long term dementia and can really affect your health. They did research on people that drank alcohol consistently for years and found that alcohol caused lesions restricting blood flow and overall decreasing health. Everything was backed up by a scientific article showing that it is a fact.

https://people.com/as-little-as-8-alcoholic-drinks-a-week-can-contribute-to-dementia-research-says-11712922#:~:text=Per%20the%20study%2C%20published%20this,associated%20with%20diseases%20like%20Alzheimer's.

Answer 9

I like that you followed the sources all the way back to the original study good job not stopping at the first article. One thing I think you could add is what kind of study it was, like if it was just looking at people’s habits or if it was a real experiment. That helps people understand how strong the evidence is. I’m also wondering if the study looked at other things that could cause dementia, like age or health problems, or if it just focused on drinking. Sometimes these articles make the research sound more clear-cut than it really is.

Comments

I like how you talk about the other variables that could cause dementia from the alcohol. It's important to understand that when you are doing a study that there should be a single variable and everything else should be in control. Also I liked how you talked about making sure your specific on the type of experiment since that is important to clarify as well.

Answer 10

Here is the link to the original article:

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

First off, People magazine is on the News Detective trusted source list, so we know they have done reputable work in the past. The author, Charlotte Phillipp, is a graduate from USC and has done journalism work for a variety of news outlets. People magazine is a trusted source for cultural reporting, so we need to be skeptical about their claims regarding scientific issues. The article’s main claim is in the title, “As Little as 8 Alcoholic Drinks a Week Can Contribute to Dementia, Research Says.” This topic has been covered by several other sources, but none of them are on the trusted source list. The study cited in the article has found that “heavy and former heavy drinkers had higher odds of developing tau tangles, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease, with 41% and 31% higher odds, respectively.” According to the Mayo clinic, a trusted source, “Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in older adults,” which links the findings of the study to Phillipp’s main claim. The study Phillipp references is from a reputable scientific journal, which is a good indicator of truth. The study’s limit is that it doesn’t examine the differences between drinking heavily infrequently and drinking moderately frequently. A study by the National Institute of Health, a trusted source, says that “daily low-quantity drinking was associated with lower dementia risk compared with infrequent higher-quantity drinking.” This shows that risks may be associated with more factors than just the number of drinks in a week. The use of the words “Research Says” in Phillipp’s main claim could indicate to readers that all research contributes to her claim based on eight drinks, when other research, including the NIH study, examines other important factors. If she had changed the last section of her claim to “A New Study Says” or “According to a New Study” it would be more truthful because she is only citing one study with very specific parameters. I would say that overall the information in Phillipp’s article is true but her title is slightly misleading to readers who may be led to believe that these findings are consistent in all research.

 

Sources:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250409173113.htm

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352013

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6777245/