Research from Oxford University and Atrium Health shows how habit can raise the risk of Alzheimer's disease
Sophie Buchan Money and Lifestyle Writer, Lauren Haughey Lifestyle and Money Reporter and Charlotte Smith Senior Lifestyle Content Editor 13:48, 12 Apr 2026
If you're looking to reduce your risk of developing dementia, there's one habit you should abandon, or at least significantly reduce. Research suggests that regular alcohol consumption could inflict far more harm than just next-day hangovers, with mounting evidence indicating it may be seriously damaging your cognitive health. The NHS reports that dementia affects over 944,000 people in the UK.
The study examined the connection between drinking and the condition in a 2023 peer-reviewed journal by Atrium Health. Researchers employed a 'chronic drinking approach' where mice were offered a choice between water or alcohol over a 10-week period.
The US-based research team were particularly keen to explore how alcohol consumption linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for between 60% and 80% of all dementia cases. Their results showed that even 'modest amounts' of the drink were sufficient to 'accelerate brain atrophy'.
Home-cooked meals fight dementia, running for the bus could save your life, there are too many people on Earth, and a surprising new weapon to fight cancer - all this and more in our latest science newsletter This relates to the shrinking and deterioration of brain tissue, alongside an increase in 'amyloid plaques' - damaging proteins strongly linked with Alzheimer's.
"These findings suggest alcohol might accelerate the pathological cascade of Alzheimer's disease in its early stages," said Associate Professor Shannon Macauley, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, at the time, reports the Mirror.
"These preclinical findings suggest that even moderate consumption of alcohol can result in brain injury. Alcohol consumption may be a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and dementia", reports Surrey Live.
Importantly, these discoveries aren't confined to mice alone. In 2024, researchers at Oxford University placed alcohol amongst the most damaging factors for undermining cognitive health and potentially increasing the risk of Alzheimer's.
The research team examined the brain scans of 40,000 people to reach this conclusion. Professor Gwenaëlle Douaud, who headed the study, stated: "We know that a constellation of brain regions degenerates earlier in ageing, and in this new study we have shown that these specific parts of the brain are most vulnerable to diabetes, traffic-related air pollution − increasingly a major player in dementia − and alcohol, of all the common risk factors for dementia.
"We have found that several variations in the genome influence this brain network, and they are implicated in cardiovascular deaths, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as with the two antigens of a little-known blood group, the elusive XG antigen system, which was an entirely new and unexpected finding."
Current NHS guidance in the UK states that keeping track of your units will help you maintain control over your alcohol consumption. It adds: "14 units is equivalent to six pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine." For further details on alcohol units and support, visit the NHS website.
What are the signs of dementia?
According to Dementia UK: "Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that affect the brain. There are many different types, subtypes and causes. It is a progressive condition, which means the symptoms always get worse over time."
It added: "The most common symptoms of dementia include difficulties with remembering, thinking and speaking, which get worse over time. However, there are many other possible symptoms, and everyone has their own unique experience of the condition."
