Moderate drinking tied to lower levels of Alzheimer's brain protein

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced levels of beta amyloid, the protein that forms the brain plaques of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.
 
Korean researchers studied 414 men and women, average age 71, who were free of dementia or alcohol-related disorders. All underwent physical exams, tests of mental acuity, and positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. They were carefully interviewed about their drinking habits.
 
The study, in PLOS Medicine, measured drinking in “standard drinks” — 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or one-and-a-half ounces of hard liquor. Compared with abstainers,