The BMJ (British Medical Journal) in an editorial piece* last week (June 6, 2017) confirmed what was known to most people simply based on anecdotal and empirical evidence - "Even moderate drinking is linked to pathological changes in the Brain" This flies in the face of several years of reporting by the scientific community that mild-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a protective effect against "all cause dementia"
It was this so called "protective effect" that was used by alcoholics, "social drinkers", breweries, and manufacturers of alcoholic beverages to push their case and bring more people into the ambit of "alcoholics" and push the profits of these alcohol manufacturers.
It is important to understand that an alcoholic drink/beverage is a "liquid drug" that contains a substantial amount (anywhere between 5% to 40% depending on whether you are drinking beer, wine, or one of the "distilled" drinks) of ethyl alcohol or ethanol which when consumed in small/moderate quantities induces a sense of euphoria, increased sociability (an euphemism for making a fool of oneself), excitability, and reduced anxiety. In larger doses it causes intoxication (drunkenness), instability, stupor, slurred speech, and unconsciousness. Long-term drinking leads to alcoholic dependence, abuse, addiction, and associated serious health consequences.
The image on the right shows the structural damage that has occurred to the brain of an alcohol dependent man compared to "Age-matched" healthy man (a control). Significant erosion and thinning of the corpus callosum is clearly visible along with enlargement of the ventricles and widespread atrophy of the brain cortex. The Corpus Callosum is a bundle of nerve tissue that connects the two halves of the brain (right and left hemispheres) and facilitates communication between them. The Corpus Callosum also contains the largest amount of white matter within the brain (which is different from the gray matter which is used by the brain for the purpose of computation, thinking, and memory storage). The white matter is key to communication between various parts of the brain.
Clearly the damage that alcohol causes to the brain has been known for a long time. What was not known or rather more likely deliberately suppressed was the fact that even mild to moderate drinking can have serious consequences on brain health. The fact is that it is almost impossible to remain a "moderate" or "controlled" drinker because of a factor known as "Alcohol Tolerance"
In chronic drinkers, consumption of a constant amount of alcohol produces a progressively lesser effect i.e. the proverbial "KICK" goes missing. This leads to a compensatory and proportionate increase in the quantity of alcohol consumed which in turn triggers the cycle of alcohol addiction, dependence...
Over time continued heavy alcohol consumption over several years leads to another condition called "Reverse Tolerance" - result of a liver so damaged by chronic alcohol abuse that it loses its ability to metabolize the alcohol consumed - this leads to a rapid and steep build-up of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and more rapid intoxication - A cycle that ultimately leads to hospitalization and death.
This recent study that debunks earlier theories of the effects of alcohol on the brain was a prospective cohort of 550 civil servants none of whom were alcohol dependent. Study participants underwent brain scans/imaging in order to examine the relationship between average alcohol use, cognition, and brain structure. Average/Moderate alcohol use was associated with:
It was this so called "protective effect" that was used by alcoholics, "social drinkers", breweries, and manufacturers of alcoholic beverages to push their case and bring more people into the ambit of "alcoholics" and push the profits of these alcohol manufacturers.
It is important to understand that an alcoholic drink/beverage is a "liquid drug" that contains a substantial amount (anywhere between 5% to 40% depending on whether you are drinking beer, wine, or one of the "distilled" drinks) of ethyl alcohol or ethanol which when consumed in small/moderate quantities induces a sense of euphoria, increased sociability (an euphemism for making a fool of oneself), excitability, and reduced anxiety. In larger doses it causes intoxication (drunkenness), instability, stupor, slurred speech, and unconsciousness. Long-term drinking leads to alcoholic dependence, abuse, addiction, and associated serious health consequences.
The image on the right shows the structural damage that has occurred to the brain of an alcohol dependent man compared to "Age-matched" healthy man (a control). Significant erosion and thinning of the corpus callosum is clearly visible along with enlargement of the ventricles and widespread atrophy of the brain cortex. The Corpus Callosum is a bundle of nerve tissue that connects the two halves of the brain (right and left hemispheres) and facilitates communication between them. The Corpus Callosum also contains the largest amount of white matter within the brain (which is different from the gray matter which is used by the brain for the purpose of computation, thinking, and memory storage). The white matter is key to communication between various parts of the brain.Clearly the damage that alcohol causes to the brain has been known for a long time. What was not known or rather more likely deliberately suppressed was the fact that even mild to moderate drinking can have serious consequences on brain health. The fact is that it is almost impossible to remain a "moderate" or "controlled" drinker because of a factor known as "Alcohol Tolerance"
In chronic drinkers, consumption of a constant amount of alcohol produces a progressively lesser effect i.e. the proverbial "KICK" goes missing. This leads to a compensatory and proportionate increase in the quantity of alcohol consumed which in turn triggers the cycle of alcohol addiction, dependence...
Over time continued heavy alcohol consumption over several years leads to another condition called "Reverse Tolerance" - result of a liver so damaged by chronic alcohol abuse that it loses its ability to metabolize the alcohol consumed - this leads to a rapid and steep build-up of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and more rapid intoxication - A cycle that ultimately leads to hospitalization and death.
This recent study that debunks earlier theories of the effects of alcohol on the brain was a prospective cohort of 550 civil servants none of whom were alcohol dependent. Study participants underwent brain scans/imaging in order to examine the relationship between average alcohol use, cognition, and brain structure. Average/Moderate alcohol use was associated with:
- Reduced right hippocampal volume
- Even moderate drinkers (21 units per week) were three times more likely to suffer hippocampal atrophy
- Higher the alcohol consumption, greater the reduction in white matter integrity and faster the decline in executive function
This adds to the already existing burden of alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) which is estimated to account for 10-24% of all cases of dementia and 10% of early onset dementia. Heavy intake/consumption is associated with potentially severe impairments in memory and executive function.
Given what this study confirms, abstinence or the avoidance of alcohol, mild or moderate may well be the best bet to preserve brain health.
- Welch AK. "Alcohol Consumption and brain health" [BMJ 2017;357:j2645 doi: 10.1136/bmj.j2645 (Published 2017 June 06)]
- Buhler M, Mann K. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2011; 35(10):1771-1793.
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