Want to stave off dementia? Well, a new study has an advice for the fair sex - guzzle a goblet of wine everyday. Researchers at Glasgow University have found drinking a small glass of wine a day could delay the onset of dementia in women - in fact, moderate alcohol consumption improves the function of older women's brains too. And, according to them, drinking a small amount delays cognitive decline and the onset of dementia - a degenerative condition that affects memory, attention, language and problem -solving. "We found that modest amounts of alcohol in women seem to be associated with a delay in cognitive decline, such as speed of thought and how you use language and words. If these become serious, they can be signs of dementia. "This isn't an endorsement to drink to excess – large amounts of alcohol will damage your brain - but an occasional tipple may do you some good," lead researcher David Stott was quoted by 'The Daily Telegraph' as saying. In fact, in their study, the researchers analysed the performance of more than 5,800 people, from Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands, aged from 70 to 82 in a range of memory and language tests. The results among male participants were similar, but women who consumed between one and seven units of alcohol a week performed significantly better than those who rarely drank or were teetotal. The findings have been published in the 'Journal of the American Geriatrics Society'.
