It appears there's yet another piece of evidence to suggest that the old saying "A little bit of what you fancy does you good", has more than a grain of truth. The emphasis, however, is on "a little".

We've already learned of the benefits to women of one cup of coffee per day, the benefits of tea, and rarely a day goes by where we don't hear about the 'new-found benefits' of dark chocolate.

Now it's the turn of alcohol again.

A study published recently by the American Academy of Neurology, suggests that up to one drink of alcohol a day may slow progression of dementia in people who are experiencing mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive  impairment is a transitional stage between normal ageing and dementia. Symptoms are mild memory or cognitive problems, but no significant disability.

The study found that people with mild cognitive impairment, who had up to one drink of alcohol a day (mostly wine), developed dementia at an 85 percent slower rate than people who also had mild cognitive impairment but never drank alcohol.

The study did not find any association between higher levels of drinking (i.e. more than one drink per day) and the rate of progression to dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment compared to non-drinkers.

Also see: Too Much Alcohol Shrinks the Brain