Drinking problems impact on memory later in life

People with a history of drinking problems in middle age are more than twice as likely to exhibit memory problems in later life than those without, according to a new study.

British researchers examined records from a longitudinal study that tracked the health of 6,500 Americans born between 1931 and 1941.

Study participants were given a screening questionnaire, where answering “yes” to at least two of the four questions defined a drinking problem.

Those in the 16% of participants who had a drinking problem at some point were far more likely to show memory problems on the word-recall tests later in the study.

The findings suggest excessive drinking earlier in life may place people at a high risk of developing dementia.