Jul 30, 2014 01:10 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Middle-aged adults with a history of problem drinking are more than twice as likely to suffer from severe memory impairment in later life, accoridng to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom highlight the hitherto largely unknown link between harmful patterns of alcohol consumption and problems with memory later in life -- problems which may place people at a high risk of developing dementia.

"We already know there is an association between dementia risk and levels of current alcohol consumption -- that understanding is based on asking older people how much they drink and then observing whether they develop problems," researcher Iain Lang said in a statement. "But this is only one part of the puzzle and we know little about the consequences of alcohol consumption earlier in life."

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from more than 6,500 middle-aged adults born between 1931 and 1941. These individuals participated in the Health and Retirement Study in the United States. Participants were first assessed in 1992 and follow-up assessments took place every other year from 1996 to 2010.

A history of alcohol use disorders was identified using the CAGE* questionnaire (short for Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) -- where participants registered a history of AUDs their chances of developing severe memory impairment more than doubled.

Lang said the findings suggest three things: "that this is a public health issue that needs to be addressed; that more research is required to investigate the potential harms associated with alcohol consumption throughout life; and that the CAGE questionnaire may offer doctors a practical way to identify those at risk of memory/cognitive impairment and who may benefit from help to tackle their relationship with alcohol."

The findings were recently published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 

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