Impact of Alcohol on Brain Health
In a new preclinical study, American scientists have demonstrated that even moderate drinking can accelerate brain atrophy and increase the number of amyloid plaques. The related research was published in the latest issue of the journal Neurobiology of Disease.
In the study, scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine used a mouse model with Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology, adopting a chronic 10-week drinking method where the mice could choose to drink water or alcohol, simulating human drinking behavior. They then studied how voluntary moderate drinking altered the function and behavior of a healthy brain, and whether it changed the pathology associated with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
The results showed that even moderate drinking accelerated brain atrophy (loss of brain cells) and increased the number of amyloid plaques (accumulation of toxic proteins), including more small plaques, which may lay the foundation for increased plaques in the future. Furthermore, acute alcohol withdrawal increased the levels of β-amyloid, a key component of amyloid plaques that accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease.
Further analysis revealed that long-term drinking led to poor regulation of brain and peripheral metabolism in the mice, which is another pathway that accelerates Alzheimer’s disease progression. Additionally, the latest research found that even moderate drinking led to elevated markers of blood glucose and insulin resistance, which not only increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease but also the risk of type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
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