Brain damage more likely with heavy alcohol use, study finds

Drinking eight or more alcoholic beverages each week can have detrimental effects on the brain, according to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Neurology Association (AAN).

That amount of alcohol is associated with a higher risk of developing a type of brain lesion called hyaline arteriosclerosis, which causes vascular stenosis and thickening, and interferes with blood flow to the brain.

According to an AAN press release, this can lead to memory and cognitive issues.

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“High alcohol consumption is a major global health concern associated with increased health problems and deaths,” said study author Alberto Fernando Oliveira Jas during the release of the Medical University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Drinking eight or more alcoholic beverages each week can cause damage to the brain, according to a new study. (istock)

“We saw how alcohol affects the brain as people age. Our research shows that high volumes of alcohol consumption can damage the brain and lead to memory and thought problems.”

Researchers have examined brain autopsies of 1,781 people, an average of 75 years old, focusing on brain damage and signs of injury.

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They subsequently gathered information about participants’ alcohol consumption from their families, the AAN release said.

Those classified as heavy drinkers were 133% more likely to have vascular cerebral lesions (abnormal vascular vascular in the brain) than those who were never drunk.

The risk was 89% higher than previous heavy drinkers and 60% higher than moderate drinkers.

“High alcohol consumption is a major global health concern associated with increased health problems and deaths,” the study author said. (istock)

Heavy drinkers and formerly heavy drinkers were also more likely to develop tangles of tau, a protein deposit in the brain, a common marker of Alzheimer’s disease.

When determining consumption levels, researchers define a drink as containing 14 grams of alcohol, equivalent to about 350 ml of beer (ml) of beer, 150 ml of wine, or 45 ml of distillation spirit.

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Among those who were once heavy drinkers, the researchers said they focused on cognitive decline and reduced brain volume proportional to weight, and effects not seen among current heavy drinkers and moderate drinkers.

Heavy drinkers have an average lifespan of 13 years compared to people who have never had alcohol.

“High alcohol consumption is a major global health concern associated with increased health problems and deaths.”

“We found that heavy drinking is directly related to signs of brain injury. This can have long-term effects on brain health, which can affect memory and thinking ability,” Justo said.

“Understanding these effects is important to continue public health awareness and precautions to reduce heavy drinking.”

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Dr. Francis Lee, who treats alcohol-related liver diseases at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, previously spoke with Fox News Digital about the effects of alcohol on the brain.

Lee said alcohol – known oppressors – would soon cross Blood-brain barrierplays a role in depressive and addictive effects.

The doctor said alcohol (known depressants) easily crosses the barriers in the blood-brain. (istock)

Heavy alcohol use is also known to increase the risk of dementia, she warned.

“Alcohol consumption can worsen cognitive decline, cause memory problems and exacerbate some behavioral problems Like depressionDavis told Fox News Digital.

One important limitation of this study was that we did not assess the health of participants prior to death. There was also a lack of information about how long alcohol consumption lasted.

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The researchers said the study was relevant and did not prove that heavy drinking causes brain damage.

This study was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation.