Doctors have made an astonishing discovery in the brains of heavy drinkers that could put millions of people at risk.
A new study into the effects of drinking has found that some drinkers have a greater risk of developing a brain condition that can impact memory and cognitive abilities.
According to the American Academy of Neurology, the new analysis into the impact of alcohol found that people who consume ‘eight or more alcoholic drinks per week’ are more likely to develop brain lesions.
Advert
This is caused by a condition known as hyaline arteriolosclerosis where small blood vessels in the brain become stiff and tight and narrow in size.
In the press release, it explained: “Researchers then divided the participants into four groups: 965 people who never drank, 319 moderate drinkers who had seven or fewer drinks per week; 129 heavy drinkers who had eight or more drinks per week; and 368 former heavy drinkers. Researchers defined one drink as having 14 grams of alcohol, which is about 350 milliliters (ml) of beer, 150 ml of wine or 45 ml of distilled spirits.
“Of those who never drank, 40% had vascular brain lesions. Of the moderate drinkers, 45% had vascular brain lesions. Of the heavy drinkers, 44% had vascular brain lesions. Of the former heavy drinkers, 50% had vascular brain lesions.
Advert
“After adjusting for factors that could affect brain health such as age at death, smoking and physical activity, heavy drinkers had 133% higher odds of having vascular brain lesions compared to those who never drank, former heavy drinkers had 89% higher odds and moderate drinkers, 60%.
“Researchers also found heavy and former heavy drinkers had higher odds of developing tau tangles, a biomarker associated with Alzheimer’s disease, with 41% and 31% higher odds, respectively.”
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, around 16.3 million adults in the US ages 18 and older reported heavy alcohol use in the past month.
Advert
This means that this condition could impact millions of Americans.
Alberto Fernando Oliveira Justo, PhD, of University of Sao Paulo Medical School in Brazil, who is a study author, said: “Heavy alcohol consumption is a major global health concern linked to increased health problems and death.
“We looked at how alcohol affects the brain as people get older. Our research shows that heavy alcohol consumption is damaging to the brain, which can lead to memory and thinking problems.”