Welcome to this edition of the ISLAND Newsletter, which will focus on alcohol consumption as a modifiable risk factor for developing dementia.  Whilst many of us enjoy a drink occasionally, excessive alcohol consumption is often the reason behind terrible events such as car accidents as well as damage to our internal organs. It also increases risks for other health conditions such as some cancers, high blood pressure and heart disease.  

On top of this, alcohol can increase our risk of dementia. Alcohol is a neurotoxin in high concentrations and excessive intake over a long period of time can cause ‘Alcohol-related dementia’. Furthermore, nutritional deficiency linked with alcoholism can also lead to brain pathology, underlying ‘Wernicke-Korsakoff’ syndrome. In addition, drinking more than 21 units of alcohol (a unit is 10 ml or 8 g of pure alcohol) per week is associated with increased risk of dementia overall.  It is important to note that drinking alcohol in moderation has not been linked to an increased risk of dementia, but nor has it been shown to protect us against it either.  As a result, those of us who drink alcohol within the recommended guidelines shouldn’t necessarily stop on the grounds that it might reduce our risk of dementia – but it might bring about other health benefits if we can at least manage to cut down.  

So what are the recommended guidelines for alcohol consumption in Australia? That’s not easy to answer or keep track of because different types of drinks contain different amounts of alcohol. On top of that, glasses tend to be larger, some drinks, such as cocktails, contain unknown quantities of alcohol, sometimes we share bottles or casks and our hosts top up our glasses before they are empty.  

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation advises that some of these problems can be overcome if we use a standard measure of the amount of alcohol we are drinking – or a standard drink. A guide to the "Australian standard drink" is below to help count your standard drinks and keep track of how much you are drinking.  

Our Preventing Dementia Massive Online Course explains alcohol and other modifiable risk factors for dementia and is now open for enrolments.  The course starts October 6 and I encourage you to enrol and extend your knowledge of how you can help reduce your risk.