A Study of the University of São Paulo (Brazil), that has analyzed the association between the alcohol consumption And the neuropathological results related to age in a population study, shows that great drinkers die 13 years before those who have never drunk.
He studywhich has been Posted in ‘Neurology’, The Medical Magazine of the American Academy of Neurology, does not prove that excessive alcohol consumption causes brain injury; It only shows an association. However, it is observed that large drinkers-who are those who consume eight or more alcoholic beverages per week-have a greater risk of brain injuries called hyaline arteriolosclerosis, signs of brain injury associated with memory and reasoning problems.
The Hyaline arteriolosclerosis It is a condition that causes the narrowing of small blood vessels, becoming thick and rigid. This hinders blood flow, which over time can damage the brain. It manifests itself as injuries, areas of tissue damaged in the brain.
“He Excessive alcohol consumption It is an important world health problem, linked to an increase in health problems and deaths. We analyze how alcohol affects the brain as people grow old. Our research shows that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to the brain, which can cause memory and thought problems, “says the author of the study, Dr. Alberto Fernando Oliveira Justo, of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (Brazil).
The study included 1,781 people with an average age of 75 years when they died. They were all made cerebral autopsy. The researchers examined brain tissue to search for signs of brain injury, such as tau and hyaline arteriolosclerosis. They also measured the brain weight and height of each participant.
The researchers divided the participants into four groups: 965 people who never drank, 319 moderate drinkers who consumed seven or less drinks a week; 129 inveterate drinkers who consumed eight or more drinks a week; and 368 inveterate ex -owners. The researchers defined a drink as the amount of 14 grams of alcohol, equivalent to about 350 milliliters (ml) of beer, 150 ml of wine or 45 ml of distilled liquor.
Of who never drank40% presented vascular brain injuries. Of moderate drinkers, 45% presented vascular brain injuries. Of the inveterate drinkers, 44% presented vascular brain injuries. Of the ex -the -art -duty ex -waste, 50% presented vascular brain injuries.
After adjusting the factors that could affect the health of the brain, such as age when they died, smoking and physical activity, large drinkers had 133% more likely to have vascular brain lesions compared to those who never drank, former large drinkers had 89% more probabilities and moderate drinkers, 60%.
The researchers also discovered that the great drinkers and former drinking drivers were more likely to develop tau ovillus, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer’s disease, with 41% and 31% larger probabilities, respectively.
Excessive alcohol consumption in the past was associated with a lower proportion of brain mass, a lower proportion of brain mass compared to body mass and worst cognitive abilities. There was no relationship between moderate or excessive alcohol consumption and the proportion of brain mass or cognitive abilities. In addition to the brain injuriesonly in former drinkers deterioration were observed in cognitive abilities.
The researchers also discovered that Great drinkers died an average of 13 years before those who never drank. “We have discovered that excessive alcohol consumption is directly related to signs of brain injury, which can cause long -term effect on brain health, which can affect memory and reasoning capacity,” he says just. “Understanding these effects is crucial for awareness of public health and to continue implementing preventive measures to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.”
A limitation of the study was that it did not analyze the participants before death and had no information on the duration of alcohol consumption and cognitive abilities.
