Alcohol consumption in midlife and cognitive performance assessed 13 years later in the SU.VI.MAX 2 cohort

Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Valentina A Andreeva, Claude Jeandel, Monique Ferry, Mathilde Touvier, Serge Hercberg, Pilar Galan, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Valentina A Andreeva, Claude Jeandel, Monique Ferry, Mathilde Touvier, Serge Hercberg, Pilar Galan

Abstract

Background: Associations between alcohol consumption and cognitive function are discordant and data focusing on midlife exposure are scarce.

Objective: To estimate the association between midlife alcohol consumption and cognitive performance assessed 13 y later while accounting for comorbidities and diet.

Methods: 3,088 French middle-aged adults included in the SU.VI.MAX (1994) study with available neuropsychological evaluation 13 y later. Data on alcohol consumption were obtained from repeated 24h dietary records collected in 1994-1996. Cognitive performance was assessed in 2007-2009 via a battery of 6 neuropsychological tests. A composite score was built as the mean of the standardized individual test scores (mean=50, SD=10). ANCOVA were performed to estimate mean differences in cognitive performance and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: In women, abstainers displayed lower cognitive scores than did low-to-moderate alcohol drinkers (1 to 2 drinks/day) (mean difference= -1.77; 95% CI: -3.29, -0.25). In men, heavy drinkers (>3 drinks/day) had higher cognitive scores than did low-to-moderate (1 to 3 drinks/day) (mean difference=1.05; 95% CI: 0.10, 1.99). However, a lower composite cognitive score was detected in male drinkers consuming ≥ 90 g/d (≈8 drinks/d). A higher proportion of alcohol intake from beer was also associated with lower cognitive scores. These associations remained significant after adjustment for diet, comorbidities and sociodemographic factors.

Conclusion: In men, heavy but not extreme drinking was associated with higher global cognitive scores. Given the known harmful effects of alcohol even in low doses regarding risk of cancer, the study does not provide a basis for modifying current public health messages.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00272428.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors declare that commercial funding received from Médéric, Sodexo, Ipsen, MGEN and Pierre Fabre, as mentioned in the Financial Disclosure, does not alter in any way the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1. ANCOVA-derived associations between alcohol intake…
Figure 1. ANCOVA-derived associations between alcohol intake categories and global cognitive function, by sex.
Association between the composite cognitive score and alcohol consumption using a detailed categorization of the exposure level. Models adjusted for age, number of 24-h records, BMI, baseline memory troubles, education, occupational category, tobacco use status, physical activity, supplementation group during the trial phase, depressive symptoms concomitant with cognitive function assessment, history of diabetes/hypertension/cardiovascular disease, energy intake and mPNNS-GS. Values are mean difference and 95% confidence interval.

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