[The association between alcohol consumption and Mild Cognitive Impairment: the Toon Health Study]

The effects of alcohol consumption on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) among the Japanese population had not been fully examined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and MCI among the Japanese elderly population.

In total, 421 men and 700 women aged 60-84 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Alcohol consumption was estimated according to frequency and amount of major alcoholic beverages (i.e., beer, Japanese sake, shochu, and wine) consumed by each individual using a self-administered questionnaire. MCI was assessed using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Multivariable odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of MCI according to alcohol consumption were calculated using logistic models. We further analyzed the associations of the major alcoholic beverages with MCI.

The prevalence of MCI was 50.4% among the male participants and 31.4% among the females. A positive association between alcohol consumption and MCI was observed in men, but not in women. The multivariable OR (95% CI) of MCI for ≥ 2 go (46 g ethanol) /day vs. non-drinkers was 1.78 (0.93-3.40, p for trend = 0.045) in men and for ≥ 1 go (23 g ethanol) /day was 0.96 (0.39-2.38, p for trend = 0.92) in women, respectively. We also observed an association between shochu consumption and MCI in men, whereby the multivariable OR (95% CI) of MCI for each 1 go increment was 1.57 (1.18-2.07).

Our findings suggest that alcohol consumption in moderation may contribute to the prevention of MCI development in men.