Study: Heavy alcohol consumption linked to increased risk of brain damage
People who consume eight or more alcoholic drinks per week are at a higher risk of developing a type of brain damage known as arteriolosclerosis.
This finding comes from a study published online in the Neurology medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.α
Alcohol’s impact on the brain
Arteriolosclerosis is a condition that causes the small blood vessels to narrow, thicken, and stiffen. This impairs blood flow and can damage the brain over time. It appears as areas of damaged tissue in the brain.
Researchers examined how alcohol affects the brain as people age and found that heavy drinking is harmful and may lead to memory and thinking problems.
The study analyzed brain tissue from 1,781 individuals with an average age of 75 at the time of death. All had undergone brain autopsies. The researchers aimed to identify signs of brain damage, also measuring brain weight and participants' height. Family members provided information about the participants’ alcohol consumption.
The data was categorized into four groups: those who never drank, moderate drinkers (up to seven drinks per week), heavy drinkers (eight or more drinks per week), and former heavy drinkers. One drink was defined as containing 14 grams of alcohol — equivalent to approximately 350 ml of beer, 150 ml of wine, or 45 ml of spirits.
Heavy drinkers die on average 13 years earlier
After adjusting for factors that could affect brain health — such as age at death, smoking, and physical activity — researchers found that heavy drinkers were 133% more likely to have vascular brain damage compared to non-drinkers. Former drinkers were 89% more likely, and moderate drinkers 60% more likely.
The study also found that heavy drinkers died, on average, 13 years earlier than those who never drank. In addition, both heavy and former drinkers were more likely to develop tau neurofibrillary tangles — a biomarker linked to Alzheimer’s disease — with increases of 41% and 31% respectively.
Past heavy drinking was also associated with a lower brain mass ratio (brain mass relative to body mass) and poorer cognitive performance. However, no association was found between moderate or heavy alcohol consumption and brain mass ratio or cognitive ability.
The researchers noted that the study does not prove that heavy drinking causes brain damage, but it does show a correlation. A limitation of the study was that it did not assess participants before death and lacked detailed information on the duration of alcohol consumption and their cognitive abilities.
AMNA
