Here’s a warning—and an opportunity—for people who want to protect their brainpower. According to recent research, certain people are poised to start losing brainpower extra early…meaning, six years early! This is not some unfortunate and inevitable consequence of their genes. Rather, their brains are getting old too fast because of how much alcohol they drink. And just how much is that? Less than you might think…
TESTING BRAIN DRAIN
The results of earlier research on how much alcohol it takes to hurt our brains were skewed by the fact that health problems often force seniors to change their drinking habits. So for the new study, researchers looked at participants’ drinking habits in middle age, then tested their memory and cognitive function over time. The researchers had access to data from a long-term study involving nearly 7,200 men and women.
Participants were first examined in the late 1980s, when they were an average of 44 years old…and then four more times over the next 21 years, which included answering questions about their diet, exercise, drinking and other factors that affect health. The researchers used information from the first three exams and questionnaires to calculate each participant’s average daily alcohol consumption during middle age. Then, to assess brain function when the participants were older, they administered tests of memory and executive function (reasoning and decision-making ability) during the later examinations. Finally, the researchers analyzed all the data to look for trends in cognitive decline at different levels of alcohol consumption, adjusting for age, education and other factors that could influence the results.
Results: For men, there was no significant difference in the rate of cognitive decline in those who drank a light-to-moderate amount regularly versus those who drank only occasionally or never drank. (“Light-to-moderate” was considered up to about 1.5 drinks per day, on average.)
But for men who drank more heavily (even a little more heavily), it was quite another story. Compared with men who drank less than 1.5 drinks per day on average, those who typically consumed 2.5 drinks or more per day—and in this group, the daily average was just over three drinks (not five or 10!)—showed faster declines in all cognitive measures. Compared with the amount of decline you’d expect to see over the course of 10 years, these men experienced an extra 2.4 years’ worth of cognitive decline overall…while in terms of memory specifically, they suffered nearly six extra years’ worth of decline.
And for women? Surprisingly, female heavy drinkers (defined as those who averaged at least 1.4 drinks per day) fared OK in terms of memory. However, they showed faster declines in executive function, equal to an undesirable “head start” of 2.4 years.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON ALCOHOL
Exactly how alcohol affects cognition is not completely understood, but the main theory focuses on the effects of alcohol on cerebrovascular (involving blood supply in the brain) and cardiovascular pathways. Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with better vascular health…but heavy consumption is associated with poorer vascular health as well as increased inflammation and vitamin deficiency, all of which may increase the risk for earlier cognitive decline.
What if you’re already past middle age? It’s not too late to take the warning to heart. In fact, according to other research, seniors who binge drink (having four or more drinks on one occasion) are setting themselves up for dementia.
Takeaway message: We already know that alcohol misuse is the leading preventable cause of death, claiming about 88,000 lives in the US each year and also contributing to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, car crashes and violence. This study reinforces the message that, as with almost everything else, moderation is the best policy when it comes to alcohol. If you’re having trouble limiting your alcohol intake, confide in your doctor, who can help you get help. If you really want to, you can cut down or quit. Your mind and your memory will thank you.