Does alcohol use dementia: Response to scientists
People who often consume alcohol may experience deterioration of cognitive abilities
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Frequent alcohol consumption increases the risk of problems with blood vessels and, as a consequence, is one of the factors for the development of dementia.
This is stated in the study, Posted in the journal Neurology, reports MedicalNewsstoday.
Within it, scientists have examined the brain of 1781 participants, whose data are contained in the biobank studies of aging in the San Paulo (Brazil) autopsy service. The average age of the participants was about seventy -five years, and the sample was ethnically diverse.
Many information about the lifestyle of the participants has specified in their relatives. After collecting data, they divided them into several categories:
- Those who did not drink alcohol at all;
- Those who drank moderately;
- Those who drank often and a lot.
At that time, scientists began to study their brains, looking for manifestations of dementia.
According to the research, people who often consumed alcohol in large doses had 133% higher risk of arteriosclerosis (changes in the structure of the arteries in the brain).
Those who have abused alcohol have also increased the risk of neurofibrillary tangles (plexus of fibers inside the nerve cells, which are associated with the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease).
”Our study found that even moderate consumption of alcohol can lead to vascular changes in the brain, such as arteriosclerosis.
This emphasizes that alcohol can even significantly affect the health of the brain even in moderation« ,-said the author of the study, Alberto Khust, researcher of the medical school of San Paulo University.
It was also revealed that the former alcoholics had much worse cognitive abilities than those who never drank.
”Intense alcohol consumption can lead to an accelerated subcortical disease in the brain, which will be manifested as a cognitive disorder.
Such people over time can progressively demonstrate weakness, slowness of thinking, memory problems« , – said Dr. Medical Sciences, a neurologist with Memorial Hermann Haris Kamal, who did not participate in the study.
Scientists in the future plan to concentrate on the study of cause and effect relationships between prolonged alcohol consumption and its impact on the brain.
”This study will help to find out how different levels and duration of alcohol consumption affect cognitive health« , – added Alberto Khusto.
We will remind, we used to wrote The death rate from alcohol -related diseases has increased more than twice from 1999 to 2020.
