ArticleAlzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association2020
Association between alcohol consumption and Alzheimer's disease: A Mendelian randomization study.
Article in Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Alcohol Exposure and Disease Associations: A Mendelian Randomization and Meta-Analysis on Weekly Consumption and Problematic Drinking.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Alcohol consumption and its association with cancer, cardiovascular, liver and brain diseases: a systematic review of Mendelian randomization studies.Frontiers in epidemiology · 2024Pooled it
- Using Mendelian randomization analysis to better understand the relationship between mental health and substance use: a systematic review.Psychological medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Associations of smoking and alcohol consumption with healthy ageing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.BMJ open · 2018Pooled it
- Higher amyloid deposition and lower white matter volume in cognitively healthy seniors exceeding French alcohol recommendations.EBioMedicine · 2026Article
- Alcohol use andAlzheimer's & dementia. Behavior & socioeconomics of aging · 2026Article
- The Role of Cold-Inducible RNA-Binding Protein (CIRP) in Neurological Disorders.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Alcohol-Induced Dysregulation of Hydrogen Sulfide Signaling in Alzheimer's Disease-International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Alcohol use and risk of dementia in diverse populations: evidence from cohort, case-control and Mendelian randomisation approaches.BMJ evidence-based medicine · 2026Article
- Prevention of cognitive decline and dementia: Current evidence on lifestyle factors and dietary patterns.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- Health effects associated with alcohol consumption: a Burden of Proof study.Nature health · 2026Article
- Review
- Evidence triangulation in health research.European journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Causal cardiovascular risk factors for dementia: insights from observational and genetic studies.Cardiovascular research · 2025Review
- Chronic alcohol exposure during young adulthood attenuates microglial reactivity and downstream immune response pathways in a mouse model of tauopathy later in life.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Article
- The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Cross-Sectional Study.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2024Article
- The genetic landscape of substance use disorders.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Review
- Association between alcohol consumption and incidence of dementia in current drinkers: linear and non-linear mendelian randomization analysis.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Article
- Causal association of circulating inflammatory proteins on neurodegenerative diseases: Insights from a mendelian randomization study.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2024Article
- Flavonoid-Rich Foods, Dementia Risk, and Interactions With Genetic Risk, Hypertension, and Depression.JAMA network open · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionObservational studies have suggested that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption decreases the risk of Alzheimer's disease, but it is unclear if this association is causal.
methodsTwo-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was used to examine whether alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, or Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) scores were causally associated with the risk of Late-Onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) or Alzheimer's disease age of onset survival (AAOS). Additionally, γ-glutamyltransferase levels were included as a positive control.
resultsThere was no evidence of a causal association between alcohol consumption, alcohol dependence, or AUDIT, and LOAD. Alcohol consumption was associated with an earlier AAOS and increased γ-glutamyltransferase blood concentrations. Alcohol dependence was associated with a delayed AAOS. DISCUSSION: MR found robust evidence of a causal association between alcohol consumption and an earlier AAOS, but not alcohol intake and LOAD risk. The protective effect of alcohol dependence is potentially due to survivor bias.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.