Moderate alcohol use predicts fewer depressive symptoms among older adults, a recent study found. This relationship is partially moderated by C-reactive protein (CRP) and is eroded by the passage of time. The study included 3,177 community-dwelling participants aged >65 years in 2008 drawn from the Health and Retirement Study. Data from the 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2014 waves were used. Alcohol use was measured via self-report and was dichotomized as abstinent (0 drinks per week) and moderate (1–14 drinks per week). Inflammation was measured using CRP, which was collected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Researchers found:

• A latent growth curve model with full information maximum likelihood was used, with results revealing that moderate drinkers endorsed fewer depressive symptoms at baseline and a steeper rate of change over time.
• Abstinent respondents' depressive symptomatology was characterized by a more linear change rate.
• Further, moderate drinkers had lower CRP levels, suggesting that inflammation partially mediates the relationship between moderate alcohol use and depressive symptomatology.