- A new study examined the impact of alcohol consumption in healthy adults who did not report drinking more than the accepted ‘low-risk’ alcohol limits.
- Using MRI scans, the researchers found a correlation between higher alcohol intake and lower brain blood flow.
- Additionally, they saw that this effect was more pronounced in older adults.
Whether someone is grocery shopping or dining out, alcohol is almost everywhere. While moderate alcohol use is considered “low-risk,” more research is coming out that shows there may truly be no safe amount of alcohol.
A new study focused on healthy adults who consume alcohol moderately. The research team wanted to see if drinking has any neurological impact on adults who consume alcohol in a relatively “safe” way.
The findings are published in the journal Alcohol.
The researchers in the new study wanted to expand research on the potential impacts moderate alcohol use may have on the brain.
They studied 45 healthy participants between the ages of 22 and 70 who did not have a history of alcohol use disorder.
The researchers administered a series of questionnaires to determine the participants’ lifetime alcohol use and to also screen out factors that could impact brain health, such as neurological disorders, psychiatric conditions, and recent substance use.
Next, the researchers used MRI scans to measure cortical thickness, brain volume, and blood flow, also known as perfusion.
The scientists next analyzed how alcohol consumption related to these brain measurements, including the combined effect of age and total lifetime drinking.
The analysis of the MRIs and the participants’ self-reported alcohol use showed that moderate alcohol consumption may not be safe.
The results showed that low levels of alcohol consumption were associated with reduced brain blood flow, which is important for delivering oxygen to the brain.
Also, people who reported higher monthly averages of alcohol consumption showed a greater reduction in blood flow compared to people with lower monthly averages of alcohol consumption.
Reduced blood flow in the frontal and temporal lobes is significant because these areas control thinking, memory, and language. Over time, this reduced blood flow could contribute to cognitive decline.
The scientists also found that these effects were amplified in older adults. The combination of getting older and having a higher lifetime alcohol intake was linked to widespread lower blood flow across most regions of the brain.
They also noted that older adults who had a higher average lifetime alcohol intake had thinner brain cortices. A thinner cortex in older adults may increase the risk of cognitive decline or dementia.
The study authors think that oxidative stress is a potential explanation for these findings. Oxidative stress causes cellular damage and is linked to aging and inflammation.
Lead study author Timothy C. Durazzo, PhD, a professor at Stanford, spoke with Medical News Today and explained what is next for this research.
“[The] next steps are to investigate the associations of low-level drinking with measures of balance, coordination, and dexterity, in a larger group of participants, which are currently underway,” said Durazzo.
He explained that a much larger study is needed to confirm the study findings: “The number of participants in our study, particularly for the blood flow measures, was very modest […] and requires replication, in a much larger group of participants, to verify the findings of our study.”
Durazzo also told MNT that the findings would not impact current guidelines due to the smaller participant pool.
Dung Trinh, MD, internist of MemorialCare Medical Group and Chief Medical Officer of Healthy Brain Clinic, spoke with MNT about the study.
“For many years, the public message was that light or moderate drinking may be harmless, or even beneficial in some cases,” said Trinh. “This study challenges that older idea by suggesting that even alcohol intake within traditional ‘low-risk’ ranges may be associated with measurable brain changes.”
Trinh mentioned that the study was “especially interesting” since its participants were healthy and had no history of alcohol abuse.
However, he emphasized that the study is “small and observational” and would not impact alcohol intake guidelines at this point.
“It should be viewed as a credible warning signal rather than proof that low-level alcohol directly causes brain damage. The main takeaway is that ‘low risk’ does not mean ‘no risk‘.”
– Dung Trinh, MD
Trinh would like to see further research in this area, including expanding the study to include a larger population and more diverse groups.
