Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study

Janie Corley; Xueli Jia; Caroline E. Brett; Alan J. Gow; John M. Starr; Janet A. M. Kyle; Geraldine McNeill; Ian J. Deary

doi:10.1037/a0021571

Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study

Janie Corley, Xueli Jia, Caroline E. Brett, Alan J. Gow, John M. Starr, Janet A. M. Kyle, Geraldine McNeill, Ian J. Deary^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with better cognitive performance in late adulthood, possibly by improving vascular health. Few studies have examined the potentially confounding roles of prior cognitive ability and social class in this relationship. Method: Participants were 922 healthy adults about 70 years old in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, for whom there are IQ data from age 11. Alcohol consumption was obtained by self-report questionnaire. Cognitive outcome measures included general cognitive ability, speed of information processing, memory, and verbal ability. Results: Moderate to substantial drinking (> 2 units/day) was associated with better performance on cognitive tests than low-level drinking (

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	166-175
Number of pages	10
Journal	Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition
Volume	25
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021571
Publication status	Published - Mar 2011

Keywords

DEMENTIA
childhood IQ
HEALTH
cognitive function
MENTAL-ABILITY
FOOD-FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE
DRINKING
alcohol
LIFE-STYLE
CHILDHOOD
ADULTS
aging
CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE
CONSUMPTION

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title = "Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study",

abstract = "Objective: Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with better cognitive performance in late adulthood, possibly by improving vascular health. Few studies have examined the potentially confounding roles of prior cognitive ability and social class in this relationship. Method: Participants were 922 healthy adults about 70 years old in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, for whom there are IQ data from age 11. Alcohol consumption was obtained by self-report questionnaire. Cognitive outcome measures included general cognitive ability, speed of information processing, memory, and verbal ability. Results: Moderate to substantial drinking (> 2 units/day) was associated with better performance on cognitive tests than low-level drinking (",

keywords = "DEMENTIA, childhood IQ, HEALTH, cognitive function, MENTAL-ABILITY, FOOD-FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE, DRINKING, alcohol, LIFE-STYLE, CHILDHOOD, ADULTS, aging, CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE, CONSUMPTION",

author = "Janie Corley and Xueli Jia and Brett, {Caroline E.} and Gow, {Alan J.} and Starr, {John M.} and Kyle, {Janet A. M.} and Geraldine McNeill and Deary, {Ian J.}",

year = "2011",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1037/a0021571",

language = "English",

volume = "25",

pages = "166--175",

journal = "Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition",

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publisher = "Psychology Press Ltd",

number = "2",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age

T2 - the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study

AU - Corley, Janie

AU - Jia, Xueli

AU - Brett, Caroline E.

AU - Gow, Alan J.

AU - Starr, John M.

AU - Kyle, Janet A. M.

AU - McNeill, Geraldine

AU - Deary, Ian J.

PY - 2011/3

Y1 - 2011/3

N2 - Objective: Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with better cognitive performance in late adulthood, possibly by improving vascular health. Few studies have examined the potentially confounding roles of prior cognitive ability and social class in this relationship. Method: Participants were 922 healthy adults about 70 years old in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, for whom there are IQ data from age 11. Alcohol consumption was obtained by self-report questionnaire. Cognitive outcome measures included general cognitive ability, speed of information processing, memory, and verbal ability. Results: Moderate to substantial drinking (> 2 units/day) was associated with better performance on cognitive tests than low-level drinking (

AB - Objective: Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with better cognitive performance in late adulthood, possibly by improving vascular health. Few studies have examined the potentially confounding roles of prior cognitive ability and social class in this relationship. Method: Participants were 922 healthy adults about 70 years old in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study, for whom there are IQ data from age 11. Alcohol consumption was obtained by self-report questionnaire. Cognitive outcome measures included general cognitive ability, speed of information processing, memory, and verbal ability. Results: Moderate to substantial drinking (> 2 units/day) was associated with better performance on cognitive tests than low-level drinking (

KW - DEMENTIA

KW - childhood IQ

KW - HEALTH

KW - cognitive function

KW - MENTAL-ABILITY

KW - FOOD-FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE

KW - DRINKING

KW - alcohol

KW - LIFE-STYLE

KW - CHILDHOOD

KW - ADULTS

KW - aging

KW - CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE

KW - CONSUMPTION

U2 - 10.1037/a0021571

DO - 10.1037/a0021571

M3 - Article

C2 - 21381824

SN - 1382-5585

VL - 25

SP - 166

EP - 175

JO - Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition

JF - Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition

IS - 2

ER -

Alcohol intake and cognitive abilities in old age: the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 study

Abstract

Keywords

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