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Beer Drinking Associates with Lower Burden of Amyloid Beta Aggregation in the Brain: H elsinki Sudden Death Series
Author(s) -
Kok Eloise H.,
Karppinen Toni T.,
Luoto Teemu,
Alafuzoff Irina,
Karhunen Pekka J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.13102
Subject(s) - apolipoprotein e , dementia , autopsy , odds ratio , confidence interval , medicine , alcohol consumption , alcohol , pathology , disease , physiology , biology , biochemistry
Background Controversy surrounds the effect of alcohol consumption on the development of dementia and cognitive impairment. We investigated the association between consumption of different alcoholic beverages and β‐amyloid ( A β) aggregation in the brain, 1 of the neuropathological lesions of A lzheimer's disease. Methods In total, 125 males of the H elsinki Sudden Death autopsy Series were included with an age range at death 35 to 70 years. The consumption of alcohol, A β aggregation in the brain, and A polipoprotein E ( APOE ) genotype were assessed. Relatives answered a questionnaire to gather alcohol consumption history, and A β was visualized by implementing immunohistochemical staining of brain sections. A β immunoreactivity ( IR ) was assessed in a dichotomized (yes/no) fashion and as a stained area fraction (%). APOE genotype was assessed in DNA extracted from paraffin‐embedded cardiac muscle samples. Results Increased age ( p = 0.001; odds ratio [OR] = 1.09, confidence interval [CI] = 1.04 to 1.15) was associated with higher prevalence of A β‐ IR . Beer drinking decreased ( p = 0.024; OR = 0.35, CI = 0.14 to 0.87) the prevalence of A β‐ IR and was associated with a significantly lower extent of A β‐ IR ( p = 0.022). The amount of alcohol consumed was not linked with A β aggregation and neither was spirit nor wine consumption. Conclusions Beer consumption may protect against A β aggregation in brain. Further studies are necessary to fully understand the effects of alcohol on A β pathology seen in brain tissue.