alcohol, even moderate, may speed progression of alzheimer's disease

drinking may increase the likelihood of not only alzheimer’s disease, but other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

by dave yasvinski

published feb 21, 2023

2 minute read

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2 minute read

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about 747,000 canadians are currently living with alzheimer’s

research shows that chronic exposure to alcohol leads to a poorly regulated brain and peripheral metabolism. getty

a new study has found that drinking even modest amounts of alcohol may speed up the progression of alzheimer’s disease. the preclinical research, which was published in the february issue of neurobiology of disease, found that small amounts of alcohol have the potential to accelerate brain atrophy (the loss of brain cells) and increase the quantity of amyloid plaques (the toxic proteins thought to underlie the disease) in the brain. the study was supported, in part, by grants from the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism and the national institute on aging.

“these findings suggest alcohol might accelerate the pathological cascade of alzheimer’s disease in its early stages,” said shannon macauley, associate professor of physiology and pharmacology at wake forest university school of medicine.

alzheimer’s disease is a chronic condition that is believed to be the result of the accumulation of certain proteins in the brain that leads to the slow death of neurons, according to the alzheimer’s association. this process eventually produces symptoms of memory loss, difficulty thinking or changes in mood and behaviour. the disease is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 per cent of all cases, and more than 747,000 canadians are currently living with alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. roughly 65 per cent of people diagnosed with the disease after the age of 65 are women.

although previous research suggests that alcohol use is a risk factor for alzheimer’s, the effect of alcohol-use disorder on the pathology of the disease remains unclear. to explore the relationship, researchers used mouse models of alzheimer’s disease-related pathology. using a 10-week approach, in a manner meant to mimic human behaviour, the team explored the effects of both chronic alcohol consumption and voluntary, modest consumption on healthy brain function and the impact, if any, it had on early stages of the disease.

they found that the consumption of alcohol increased brain atrophy and increased the presence of amyloid plaques — including a larger number of smaller plaques — a development that may set the stage for the increased production of such plaques later in life. they also found that the acute withdrawal from alcohol increased the presence of amyloid-beta, a key component of amyloid plaques that have been found in alzheimer’s patients.

they also discovered that chronic exposure to alcohol led to a poorly regulated brain and peripheral metabolism — another way in which the substance may accelerate the progression of the disease. even moderate drinking led to elevations in blood sugar and markers of insulin resistance that increases the likelihood of not just alzheimer’s disease, but other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. moderate use of alcohol was found to alter the anxiety and dementia-related behaviours of subjects.

“these preclinical findings suggest that even moderate consumption of alcohol can result in brain injury,” macauley said. “alcohol consumption may be a modifiable risk factor for alzheimer’s disease and dementia.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca

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