Research has revealed that even small amounts of alcohol can damage the brain.
It's common knowledge that drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health, but recent research has shown that even small amounts of alcohol can
The interaction of age and total lifetime drinks is associated with regional cortical perfusion and thickness in healthy adults with low-level alcohol consumption - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0741832926001771
Even Low Levels of Alcohol Could Damage Your Brain, Study Finds : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/even-low-levels-of-alcohol-could-damage-your-brain-study-finds
To investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and its effects on the brain, an American research team recruited 45 healthy adults aged 22 to 70 with no history of alcohol use disorder or heavy drinking in the past year.
The research team administered questionnaires to the subjects about their drinking habits over the past year, the past three years, and their lifetime. Subsequently, MRI scans were performed on all 45 subjects to measure the volume and thickness of the cerebral cortex , which is responsible for higher-level thinking, and localized cerebral blood flow was also measured for 27 of them.
An analysis of the participants' drinking habits revealed that the average lifetime alcohol intake was 21 drinks per month, with monthly consumption ranging from 1 to 54 drinks. Note that '1 drink' here is equivalent to 14g of pure
A study investigating the relationship between alcohol consumption and the thickness of the cerebral cortex and cerebral blood flow revealed that even in subjects who limited their alcohol consumption to small amounts—less than 60 drinks per month for men and less than 30 drinks per month for women—a correlation was found where higher alcohol consumption was associated with a thinner cerebral cortex and reduced cerebral blood flow.
The correlation between alcohol consumption and brain blood flow was stronger than that of the thickness of the cerebral cortex. As with other parts of the body, good blood flow in the brain is essential for delivering oxygen and nutrients to where they are needed and removing waste products. These results suggest that even small amounts of alcohol can significantly affect blood flow and increase the risk of brain tissue damage.
The graph below shows cerebral blood flow on the vertical axis and monthly alcohol consumption on the horizontal axis. It can be seen that subjects who drank more alcohol per month had lower cerebral blood flow.
This study did not identify the mechanisms by which alcohol consumption affects the cerebral cortex and cerebral blood flow. However, it is thought that oxidative stress caused by alcohol is likely a major contributing factor.
The research team stated, 'Together, these results may reflect the cumulative effects of low-level alcohol consumption throughout a lifetime interacting with aging to promote a synergistic decline in cerebral cortex thickness and blood flow.'
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