Alcohol Consumption and Cognitive Decline

Did you know that it’s a myth that drinking alcohol destroys brain cells? However, it’s a myth that isn’t too far from reality. While alcohol might not directly kill brain cells, it does damage the brain in other ways – including causing an excess iron buildup in the brain that increases the risk of cognitive decline and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Most people assume that only heavy drinkers are at risk of alcohol-related brain damage. Unfortunately, new research has revealed that this is not the case and that even moderate amounts of alcohol consumption can increase your risk of cognitive decline as you age.

The Link Between Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Cognitive Decline

In a study that was published in the PLOS Medicine journal last July, researchers from the University of Oxford studied the link between alcohol consumption and cognitive decline by examining 20,965 study participants from the United Kingdom. The study included both male and female participants, with the average participant age being 55 years.

Participants were asked to self-report how much alcohol they consumed each week in units, with two units equaling roughly one 175-ml glass of wine. All participants then underwent an MRI scan of their brains, and about 7,000 participants had an MRI done on their livers as well. Lastly, all of the study’s participants were asked to undergo a series of assessments that tested their cognitive and motor functions.

The brain MRIs showed that participants who drank more than seven units of alcohol per week exhibited higher levels of iron in their basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is an area located deep within the central part of the brain and is responsible for cognition, emotions, and motor movement, among other functions.

In past studies, higher levels of iron buildup in the basal ganglia has been shown to be a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline. In agreement with these studies, researchers from the University of Oxford found that participants who had higher levels of iron in this area performed poorer on cognitive and motor function assessments.

These are concerning results for anyone who consumes alcohol on a regular basis. While we’ve been well-warned about the health risks of drinking in excess, seven units of alcohol per week (or roughly three glasses of wine per week) is not what most people would consider excessive. According to the University of Oxford study, though, even this might present risks.

Lead author of the study Anya Topiwala said, “Potential implications are that this adds to the increasing evidence base that even small amounts of alcohol may damage the brain. Additionally, it offers insight into the way alcohol damages the brain — and we hope offers future avenues for studies to test whether intervening to lower iron might help avoid damage.”

How to Lower Your Risk

This may or may not be the news that you want to hear, but the only way to lower your risk of alcohol-related brain damage is to consume less alcohol. The silver lining here is that drinking less than seven units of alcohol per week was not shown to increase the risk of cognitive decline; participants in the Oxford study who reported drinking this amount or less were found to have roughly the same levels of iron in their basal ganglia as participants who did not drink at all.

“We found no evidence of harm at drinking less than seven units a week,” said Anya Topiwala.

Any more than this, though, and you are putting yourself at risk. One effective way to reduce your alcohol consumption if you are worried about the harm it might be doing to your brain is to drink fewer times per week. If you limit yourself to drinking just one day out of the week, it’s much easier to keep your average weekly consumption below seven units. Avoiding drinking to point of intoxication is also something that many medical experts recommend. At St. Jude Labs, we proudly support those who are recovering from alcohol addiction via our drug screening and confirmatory testing services. If you work with an addiction recovery center and would like to learn more about partnering with St. Jude Labs for your toxicology testing needs, be sure to contact us today.