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Binge Drinking Could Fuel Dementia 'Epidemic'

Up to a quarter of UK dementia cases may be booze-linked

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted May 10, 2009 12:49 PM CDT

(Newser) – It’s no secret that drinking kills brain cells—but doctors in Britain now fear an “epidemic” of brain damage from binge drinking, the Guardian reports. Up to a quarter of dementia cases in the UK may be brought on by heavy drinking, they say, noting that some people could begin having major memory trouble in their 40s. And the threat to women is greater than it is to men.

“People think that dementia is something that happens to people over 65. But a lot of those under 65 have got cognitive problems and a large proportion of the problems in that group are related to alcohol,” said the author of a study.

Binge drinking could be behind 1 in 4 cases of dementia in the UK, doctors say.
Binge drinking could be behind 1 in 4 cases of dementia in the UK, doctors say.   (Shutterstock)
UK doctors fear a binge-drinking dementia epidemic.
UK doctors fear a binge-drinking dementia "epidemic."   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 7 comments
Robert_Dada
May 12, 2009 12:38 PM CDT
I'll drink to that!
Robert_Dada
May 11, 2009 12:44 PM CDT
After 8 years of bush and cheney, who wouldn't drink?
wwwonderer
May 11, 2009 6:48 AM CDT
Yeah, I would bet that binge -BLANK-ing is not to good for anyone. Binging should prolly be moderated in general.

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