BRAIN HEALTH AND ALCOHOL
Alcohol significantly impacts brain health by disrupting neural communication, impairing balance, memory, and judgment, and, with heavy use, causing structural damage, shrinkage, and conditions like dementia or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome due to brain inflammation and thiamine deficiency, though some damage may improve with abstinence. Even moderate drinking has been linked to brain changes and lesions, with increased consumption correlating to greater brain shrinkage and injury, affecting thinking and memory over time
Short-Term Effects (Even Small Amounts)
Impaired Communication: Interferes with brain cell communication, affecting balance, speech, memory, and judgment.
Mood Changes: Can initially create relaxation but is a depressant, increasing risks of anxiety, depression, and irritability.
Long-Term & Heavy Drinking Effects
Brain Structure Changes: Can lead to neuron shrinkage and overall brain shrinkage, especially in memory centers.
Cognitive Decline: Causes memory problems, difficulty with learning, planning, and problem-solving.
Brain Injury: Linked to brain lesions (hyaline arteriolosclerosis) and increased risk of dementia.
Nutrient Deficiencies: Can cause severe thiamine (B1) deficiency, leading to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (amnesia, confusion, vision issues).
Increased Risks: Heightened risk for mental health issues, seizures, peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain), and alcohol-related brain impairment (ARBI).
Reversibility & Risk
Potential for Recovery: With sustained abstinence (months to a year), some cognitive damage and brain changes can improve or reverse.
Dose-Dependent: The more you drink, the greater the risk and severity of brain damage; even moderate drinking shows associations with negative effects.
Research On Connections
“There is strong evidence that drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of developing dementia” Source: Dementia UK
BIOLOGICAL AGING AND ALCOHOL
All alcoholic drinks are toxic and there is no safe consumption level for any type of alcohol. Alcohol promotes both neuro and intestinal inflammation. If you do partake in alcohol, drink plenty of water to limit the dehydration effect and to keep your joints lubricated. Some studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis, however there is a direct link between consuming alcohol and the risk of experiencing a gout attack.
When alcohol is consumed before bedtime, it disrupts deep sleep, exacerbates snoring, and increases risk of sleep apnea. Conversely, a modest dose of alcohol consumed before or with the evening meal is largely metabolized before falling asleep 3 or 4 hours later.
Research On Connections
“there is a direct link between consuming alcohol and the risk of experiencing a gout attack” Source: Creaky Joints
“When alcohol is consumed before bedtime, it disrupts deep sleep, exacerbates snoring, and increases risk of sleep apnea. Conversely, a modest dose of alcohol consumed before or with the evening meal is largely metabolized before falling asleep 3 or 4 hours later”
“In addition to its tendency to promote social bonding, light to moderate alcohol consumption appears to confer cardio-vascular protection through improvements in insulin sensitivity and in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and postprandial glucose levels. The poly-phenols in red wine in particular appear to be effective at improving insulin resistance, endothelial function, and blood lipid levels”
This same report states that “A large body of evidence, however, supports the presence of a threshold over which excessive alcohol intake and binge drinking become toxic to overall health, with increased risks of stroke, cancer, hypertension, atrial fibrillation (AFIB), heart failure, aortic aneurysm, and accidents/injury” and the author further notes that “a regular habit of consuming alcohol is a slippery slope that many people cannot safely navigate” Source: Mayo Clinic
RECOMMENDED HEALTHY AGING PROTOCOL
“I Drink Alcohol” Answer = Never