Alcohol Raises Dementia Risk at Every Level of Drinking

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A study found that alcohol raises dementia risk at every level of drinking, overturning decades of claims that moderate use protects your brain
Even light drinking damages neurons, disrupts mitochondrial energy production, and accelerates brain aging, showing there is no safe dose for cognitive health
Genetic data revealed that for every measurable increase in alcohol consumption, dementia risk rose by about 15%, with the danger extending across all age and ancestry groups
Alcohol and linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils follow the same toxic pathway in your liver, creating harmful aldehydes that cause mitochondrial damage and fatty liver disease, both of which impair brain function
Reducing or eliminating alcohol and cutting seed oils to under 5 grams per day — ideally 2 grams — support liver recovery, restore mitochondrial function, and protect long-term brain health

Transcript

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0:00.0	What if every drink you take raises your risk of dementia, no matter how little you consume?
0:05.0	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading required.
0:15.0	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:19.0	Hello, and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:22.6	Today we're examining new evidence showing alcohol increases dementia risk at every level of
0:27.8	intake and why cutting seed oils can protect your brain by supporting mitochondrial health. I'm
0:34.0	Ethan Foster, and I'll guide the discussion so you can decide what to change today.
0:39.2	I'm Alara Skye. This episode centers on a large analysis that tracked more than half a million adults and found a simple pattern.
0:47.8	As alcohol intake goes up, dementia risk rises. There is no protective sweet spot. We'll also connect alcohol's damage to a similar
0:56.8	pathway triggered by linoleic acid from seed oils. You've probably heard the claim that a glass
1:02.9	of wine a day is good for your brain. That idea came from observational studies with a U-shaped
1:08.0	curve suggesting moderate drinkers fared better.
1:14.8	The new analysis used genetic tools to correct for misleading factors and found the curve flattens into a straight line upward.
1:18.5	More alcohol equals more risk, including at light levels.
1:22.6	That matters because genetic proxies for lifetime drinking
1:25.5	showed that for each measurable increase in weekly drinks,
1:29.4	dementia risk rose by about 15%.
1:32.1	The researchers also noted that people in the early phases of cognitive decline often reduced drinking,
1:38.9	which previously made moderate drinkers look healthier by comparison.
1:43.2	Once you account for that reverse causation,
1:45.8	the supposed benefit disappears. The biological explanation is direct. Alcohol impairs
1:52.5	mitochondrial energy production, damages neurons, and accelerates brain aging. There is no safe
	...

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