Researchers say red wine reduces risk of Alzheimer's Disease - Beer doubles risk

AFP via Babelfish translation ^ | November 12, 2002

[HAL9000]

The red wine reduced the risks of insanity, the beer increases these risks

Tuesday November 12, 2002 - 16h39 GMT

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (AFP) - To regularly drink red wine reduced of more than half the risks of insanity while the beer has the opposite effect, doubling the probabilities of being touched in particular by the disease of Alzheimer, according to a study carried out in Denmark and published Tuesday in the United States.

"These results are interesting because they could mean that certain substances of the wine reduce the supervening of the insanity", the author of the study thought, Dr. Thomas Truelsen, by considering "the development of treatments or methods of prevention based on these substances".

"That does not want to say that people must start to drinking wine or drinking some more", nevertheless Dr. Truelsen informed, whose study is published in the Neurology review.

The researchers under the direction of Dr. Truelsen, of the Institute of preventive medicine in Kommunehospitalet of Copenhagen, put forth the assumption that the flavonoïdes, a natural antioxydant present in the red wine, could be the source of this beneficial effect on the risks of insanity.

On the other hand, the Danish researchers noted that the occasional beer consumption was associated at the increased risk to be touched by the insanity. Among the participants in the study, those which consumed beer each month presented twice more risks to be touched than those which drank any never or very seldom.

For this study, the doctors recorded the drink practices of 1.709 inhabitants of Copenhagen in the Seventies. In the Nineties, they controlled these people of more than 65 years to obtain statistics on the frequency of the insanity affecting this group. In twenty years, 83 participants were struck of insanity.

One of the limits of the study is the absence of taking into account of the diet of the participants, underlined the neurologist John Brust of Harlem Hospital Center in New York, in a leading article published in the same review, while being appropriate that "it is a study showing that there is something of specifically beneficial in the wine".

Other research "suggests that the wine drinkers have food practices better than the beer drinkers and strong alcohols", pointed out Dr. Brust. "Certain results also show that the vitamin E can reduce the risks to develop the disease of Alzheimer. These factors were not taken into account in the study ", it added.

[gov_bean_ counter]

But what about whisky, or sterno juice, or gasoline, or...?

or dirty bath water.

[Dan from Michigan]

consumed beer each month presented twice more risks to be touched than those which drank any never or very seldom.

That would be Irish Alzheimers. We never forget our grudges:)

[Jaded]

But according to the study, they are more likely to remain sane. Maybe the winos have been sneaking beer on the side. Could be the formaldehyde in the Mad-Dog though.

[NC Conservative]

Is Mad Dog 20/20 considered a "wine product"?

No more than Boones Farm

[El Gato]

The interesting thing about this is that it must be something in the wine, and the beer, other than the alcohol, which determines these effects. Find out what it is, and avoid the, presumably, bad stuff in beer, and take supplements of the, presuably, good stuff in wine. Although a small amount of ethanol seems to be good for you also.

[Dallas]

(hiccup) I'd like to propose a toast.........now, if I could only remember where I put my booze

[jae471]

Good observation. Since the study points to red wines, and not white, my first guess would be tannins in the grape skins, since red must is fermented with the grapes before pressing (allow everything in the skin and pulp to soak into the must), and white must is fermented after pressing (which occurs right after crushing for whites).

Also, wort is boiled, then chilled, prior to fermentation. Must is not, and it is fermented alot longer (and slower) than wort.

Wine also contains a higher proportion of sulphites, but if it was sulphites, it shouldn't matter wether its red or white.

Could also be that fruit and fruit products are better than grain and grain products.

[Reeses]

it must be something in the wine

It might be the demographics of wine drinkers vs. beer drinkers causing the difference. For example, if you study cigar smokers you will find that they live longer than non-cigar smokers. It isn't a substance in the cigar, it's that cigar smokers tend to be wealthier and can afford a more relaxed lifestyle with better health care.

[taxcontrol]

[sigh]

Once again worthless junk offered up as science via the abuse of statistics.

It could just as easily be said "Living in Sweden causes a 4.8% chance of going insane."

There is a huge difference between associative elements (things are are related) and elements that are cause. This smells of a researcher looking to drum up support for more grant money.

[Baraboo Law Jr.]

I think Homer said it best....

http://www.eventsounds.com/wav/notvbeer.wav

[SwinneySwitch]

Merci!

[hattend]

Beer causes insanity?

Beer goggles pretty much proves that research.

[tdadams]

Makes you wonder if the Germans will bring out an article saying beer makes you smarter and wine causes insanity.

[timestax]

This is pure garbage. I know oldsters (over 80) , some that drink Early Times whiskey every day, and some that don't drink any alcohol. It's up to the individual genes!!

[Stone Mountain]

So does red wine actually reduce the risk of Alzheimer's or has the drinking of red wine been correlated with a lower instance of Alzheimer's? Big difference - correlation does not imply causation.

[GOPJ]

Hey, the French aren't wine producers, are they? No conflict here...

Does anyone else find it a little odd that the article is printed in French?

[Norman Conquest]

"Holdez-vous mon merlot" is the phrase I believe you're looking for.

[Thisiswhoweare]

Wine makes you "laid back" beer makes you "rowdy" most of the stories that we find funny on this list, involve beer drinkers. One could say on the outside looking/watching how it would seem beer drinkers are touched with the insanity.

[nonsporting]

"Hold my beer. Pass the Merlot."

[Destructor]

I'd look for it any day now.(chuckle)