Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to brain damage and premature death

Excessive drinkers died on average 13 years earlier than non-droops and run more than 2 times the risk of brain vascular lesions, according to a new brain autopsy study.

Alcohol consumption linked to a cerebral vascular condition

The study, recently published in the journal Neurologyexamined nearly 1,800 participants and revealed that excessive and old consumption of alcohol is linked to brain changes associated with cognitive decline and dementia, such as neurofibrillary degeneration (abnormal accumulations of a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease) and vascular lesions.

Researchers have examined the results of autopsies of deceased people aged 50 and over. They were classified into four groups of drinkers: never, moderate, excessive and ancient excessive drinker.

The results indicate that all levels of consumption were linked to an increased presence of hyaline arteriosclerosis, a type of vascular lesion that affects the smallest arteries in the body and the brain. Compared to those who never drank alcohol, moderate drinkers had 60 % of chance in addition to presenting this vascular condition, while excessive drinkers had an increased risk of 133 %. Former excessive drinkers have also shown an increased risk of 89 % and lower scores to cognitive assessments compared to non-buvers.

Excessive anterior consumption of alcohol was also associated with a lower brain mass ratio, indicating a potential link between alcohol consumption and brain structural changes. A reduced brain mass (brain atrophy) is indicative of a cognitive decline.

Alcohol can alter the blood vessels of the brain in various ways, in particular by modifying blood flow and spasms in capillaries and small veins. High concentrations of alcohol can also cause intense spasms resulting in the rupture of blood vessels. Alcohol can also disrupt the hemato-encephalic barrier and modify its permeability.

To understand alcohol consumption habits in deceased people, the researchers had a detailed questionnaire filled with relatives of the subjects. This questionnaire collected information on the deceased alcohol consumption during the three months preceding the death, in order to minimize the impact of any change in lifestyle that could have occurred closer to this period. Alcohol consumption has been classified according to the number of doses consumed and the frequency, a dose being defined as 14 grams of alcohol – the equivalent of around 350 milliliters (ML) of beer, 150 ml of wine or 45 ml of spirits.

The questioned people classified alcohol consumption as “never” abstained, “moderate” for those who consumed up to seven doses (98 grams) per week, “excessive” for those who consumed eight doses (112 grams or more) or more per week, and “an old excessive drinker” for those who had before excessive consumption but had ceased their consumption up to three months before their death.

Although there was no direct or global impact of alcohol consumption on cognitive capacities, participants who drank alcohol showed significantly higher scores on the CDR-SOB (Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes, measuring the seriousness of dementia) compared to their non-drinking peers, which suggests a lower cognitive function. This relationship was mediated by hyaline arteriosclerosis, indicating that the indirect effects of alcohol on cognition could be influenced by this condition.

Different consumption profiles show various effects

The results of the study suggest that different alcohol consumption profiles have various brain health effects.

Former excessive drinkers have shown an average decrease in brain weight and lower cognitive capacities, their average scores on a dementia assessment scale reflecting increased cognitive alteration.

Only excessive drinkers and former excessive drinkers had increased levels of neurofibrillary degeneration, which are brain changes that can be linked to degenerative neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

“In our study, we found that the big drinkers tended to die, on average, 13 years earlier than those who never drank alcohol,” wrote the authors of the study.

Large drinkers have shown a lower impact of chronic health problems such as high blood pressure and cerebral vascular accidents compared to non-droops.

The research team said they thought that this reduced incidence of chronic health problems could be the result of a “survival bias” – big drinkers may not live long enough to develop these chronic problems, because their high alcohol consumption contributes to a shorter overall life expectancy.

Excessive alcohol consumption up

The conclusions of the study arrive at a critical moment. In 2023, more than 28 million people aged 12 and older in the United States suffered from alcohol use disorders (TUA). About 178,000 people die there from excessive alcohol consumption, and alcohol -related deaths increased in all age groups between 2016 and 2021.

According to WHO, in 2019, it is estimated that 400 million people, or 7 % of the world’s population aged 15 and over, presented disorders related to alcohol consumption. Among them, 209 million people (or 3.7 % of the world’s adult population) were alcoholic.

The TUA has “definitively” become more widespread in recent years, “the COVVI-19 being a huge factor,” said Epoch TimeS Keefer Wurmstich, certified alcoholism and drug addiction advisor. Stress and isolation, as well as economic instability and changes in social standards around alcohol consumption, may also have contributed to this increase, he noted.

“Young adults, people with family history of alcohol abuse or drugs, and those suffering from mental health problems are more likely to develop a TUA,” he said.

Treatment and prevention

Keefer Wurmstich said the TUA can often be treated by a combination of behavioral therapies, advice, medication management, continuous support groups and an emphasis on underlying mental health problems.

“It depends on severity,” he said. “But often, the treatment of detoxification in residential treatment, in ambulatory treatment with support housing (sober life), in ambulatory treatment with parallel support groups, is the best approach to adopt. »»

Keefer Wurmstich has also warned that even occasional consumption may include risks “because consumption patterns often evolve over time and could increase the probability of developing a TUA in unfavorable situations”.

Tua is less an exact number of glasses and more a question of the negative impact that alcohol consumption has on someone’s life, said Epoch Times Pete Verig, specialist in dependence.

If a person finds that he drinks to deal with stress or other unpleasant emotions, that he does not control his alcohol consumption, that he suffers from the medical or emotional effects of alcohol, or that he neglects important responsibilities because of the drink, said Pete Vernig, “it is a good indication that she could have a disorder of alcohol use”.