Health News Update: Alcohol and Dementia Links

Mark Smith • November 11, 2024

Hello everyone:

 

This topic continues to appear frequently in the medical research news, and there are increasing numbers of papers that reveal that no amount of alcohol has any benefits except no alcohol.


  • There is no level of alcohol consumption that does not increase the risk of dementia among drinkers, according to a new study.
  • Using statistical methods based on genetic analyses, the authors of the study found that alcohol heightened dementia risk in proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed.
  • This study contradicts earlier research that suggested light to moderate drinking may protect against dementia.
  • “For many years,” said Toy, “it used to be believed that moderate alcohol intake could be beneficial for heart health, but recent research has debunked this. There is no good reason to drink alcohol for health reasons.”


https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dementia-risk-rises-with-any-amount-of-alcohol-use?slot_pos=article_1&utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=MNT%20Daily%20News&utm_content=2024-09-14&apid=41304130&rvid=a32216b5e1c0c5df3c84080e2b2e161318206dbce6fd663dd747aa557a4753cd


Bottom Line:  


There is a bit more nuance to this issue. What I mean by that is, while there is no known benefit to the consumption of any level of alcohol, we should look closely at several issues:


1.     What is the overall nutritional pattern for a person consuming alcohol? In other words, if someone is overweight, eating a poor or Standard American Diet (SAD) pattern including drive thru and processed foods, then the alcohol will have a much more devasting effect on their long-term health. A drink every day or weekend binges have proven adverse health effects. If your goal is to be a good steward of your Temple, and to be of good service in this life, alcohol should not be consumed.


2.     What is the person’s health history and family history? If overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, cancer, heart disease, any autoimmune condition, any digestive disorder, any depression or anxiety, then alcohol (a known carcinogen and neurotoxin) should be avoided. Alcohol damages the gut lining (leaky gut) and alters the microbiome, stresses the cardiovascular system, is a toxin, alters blood sugar, hormones, damages the brain and immune system, induces poor sleep as well as depression, lowers cognitive abilities, and harms the liver and other organs…even a little buzz is damaging.


3.    Why is someone drinking? The most common response I get is that the person says they need to relax from the stress in their life. It would be a good idea to find an alternate way to alleviate stress such as mindful meditation, exercise, yoga, therapy or whatever it takes. There are no positive health effects from alcohol consumption, but unwinding with alcohol eventually has the opposite effect.



4.    Is there any addiction in the family, or does someone have addictive tendencies? Just say no to alcohol. If you do drink, take a good inventory of your current health status and stop drinking any alcohol for 3 months and see how you feel.


I am sure there are other issues, but these are the primary ones that I see. What do you think about alcohol? Because it is essentially a significant poison and drains health away, it is best to avoid it.


By Mark Smith March 23, 2026
Health News Update: How To Fight Inflammation and Chronic Disease 3.23.26 Hello again everyone: You might wonder why I keep focusing on food…so here are some of the reasons: food choices are the leading cause of death in the U.S. and spreading around the world. Poor food choices lead to inflammation which slowly destroy health. It is that simple, plain, and clear and backed by research. The next question: how do we fight back? Introduction The positive impact of food on health was postulated by the ancient Hippocrates, father of modern medicine with his famous quote: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” [1]. In the 21st century, scientists have focused on the effect of nutritional habits in diseases. Nowadays, it is well documented that food plays a noteworthy role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases namely cardiovascular diseases (CVD), metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus type II, and cancer [2–5], as it correlates with others with the lipid pattern, the blood pressure, and the endothelial function. The scientists examine the effect of nutritional habits on disease emergence and progression in both individual nutrient intake and dietary patterns models. Worldwide, two dietary patterns are usually compared—the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the Western diet (WD) [3,6]. The Mediterranean diet reflects the food culture of most Mediterranean countries based on olive oil consumption, seasonal fresh vegetables, cereals, and plants in balance with low consumption of meat [7]. The Western diet, on the contrary, is dominated by high-fat dairy products processed and red meat [8]. However, discordance in the different MD patterns and consumed food doses had been recognized. Without any doubt, those discrepancies could confine and restrict our knowledge on the health benefit mechanisms of the MD [9]. Due to the above, the medical community along with nutritionists and dieticians take a keen interest in MD and its traits [7]. https://www.academia.edu/45378994/biomedicines_Mediterranean_Diet_as_a_Tool_to_Combat_Inflammation_and_Chronic_Diseases_An_Overview?email_work_card=view-paper food choices can fight inflammation and chronic disease Bottom Line: This is a 2020 paper and since then literally hundreds of papers on the MD have emerged showing how the food plan lowers inflammation and the risk for developing multiple chronic illnesses. Even still, lots of research needs to be done to elucidate the many mechanisms of how food impacts our system and how to optimally individualize dietary recommendations. At this point, our best strategy to prevent and/or recover from any chronic condition is to eat as clean and natural as possible. It has become rather obvious that the further away from a natural diet we get, the sicker we become. On top of that, I have yet to see a full recovery from any health issue without the foundation of a predominantly plant-based, unprocessed, whole foods approach…which is why I keep posting about this subject. All the best to you and yours!
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