Only 4 drinks a week that led to brain changes

Observational studies have shown that moderate alcohol intake was associated with higher brain iron content and worse cognitive function.

According to Anya Topiwala, in approximately 21,000 people in the UK Biobank cohort, alcohol intake in excess of 7 units per week (56 g, or about 4 standard drinks per week in the United States) is associated with multiple basal ganglia regions. It was associated with higher brain iron markers. PhD and co-author of the University of Oxford, England.

Higher brain iron markers were associated with lower scores in executive function, fluid intelligence, and kinetics tests, Topiwala and colleagues reported. PLoS medicine..

“This is, to our knowledge, the first study to demonstrate higher brain iron in moderate drinkers,” Topiwara said. Today’s MedPage.. “The findings provide a route by which alcohol can cause cognitive decline.”

“Establishing a route is important because it can provide clues as to how we can intervene to reduce harm,” says Topiwala. “For iron, there are drugs (iron chelators) that can actually lower the level.”

According to the analysis, changes in iron accumulation can adversely affect the brain structure and cognitive abilities seen in people who consume moderate or higher amounts of alcohol, Henry Kranzler Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. The doctor commented. I am involved in his research.

“But the findings are primarily limited to the collection of brain cells involved in basal ganglia, motor control, executive function, and emotion,” Krantzler said. Today’s MedPage..

Other recent Survey from UK Biobank The cohort reported an association between 1-2 drinks daily and a decrease in overall brain volume on MRI.

“Previous findings in large neuroimaging studies have shown that the effects of moderate or higher drinking on the amount of gray and white matter are widespread in the brain, but other causative mechanisms affect the adverse effects of alcohol on the brain. It’s likely to be involved, “Krantzler said. “Further research in this area may help identify these.”

It is unclear how alcohol affects brain iron and whether there are clinical consequences of subtle elevations in brain iron, Topiwala and co-authors admitted.

Nonetheless, the findings of the Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Foundation in New York City, which did not participate in the study, found increasing evidence that even moderate alcohol intake could adversely affect brain health. Howard Philit, Doctor of Medicine, said.

“Currently, there is evidence that lifestyle interventions can reduce the risk of developing dementia. Reducing alcohol consumption, along with other lifestyle changes in areas such as diet and exercise, is causing people to It could be one of the ways that the risk of dementia can be potentially reduced. “

To investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and brain iron, Topiwala and co-authors surveyed more than 500,000 UK biobank cohorts. They identified 20,965 participants who underwent brain MRI, of whom 6,936 also underwent liver imaging for a systemic iron assessment.

The average age of the brain imaging group was 55 years, with 48.6% being female. Overall, 2.7% of this cohort said they were non-drinkers.

Alcohol intake was self-reported at baseline. Overall, average alcohol intake was 17.7 units per week.

Researchers assessed cognition again when participants were imaged and on average 5.82 years after baseline. Executive function was evaluated in the trail making test, fluid intelligence was evaluated in the puzzle task, and reaction time was measured in the task based on the “snap” card game.

For people who consume more than 7 units of alcohol per week, the higher the alcohol consumption, the greater the increase in iron in the putamen, caudate nucleus, and substantia nigra, but the decrease in iron in the thalamus.

Elevated liver iron was seen weekly over 11 units (88 g, or just over 6 standard US drinks).

Systemic iron levels partially mediated the association between alcohol intake and brain iron. Mendel randomized analysis using genetic variation as a substitute for weekly drinking confirmed the observations.

The researchers acknowledged that the limits of the study included the fact that myelin could alter imaging markers. In addition, the use of alcohol was self-reported.