Scientists from the University of Oxford found that drinking seven or more units of alcohol per week is associated with higher iron levels in the brain.
Iron accumulation in the brain has been linked with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and is a potential mechanism for alcohol-related cognitive decline.
The research is published in PLOS Medicine and was conducted by Anya Topiwala et al.
There is growing evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption can adversely impact brain health.
In the study, the team explored relationships between alcohol consumption and brain iron levels.
Their 20,965 participants from the UK Biobank reported their own alcohol consumption, and their brains were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Almost 7,000 also had their livers imaged using MRI to assess levels of systemic iron. All individuals completed a series of simple tests to assess cognitive and motor function.
Participants’ mean age was 55 years old and 48.6% were female. Although 2.7% classed themselves as non-drinkers, the average intake was around 18 units per week, which translates to about 7½ cans of beer or six large glasses of wine.
The team found that alcohol drinking above seven units per week was associated with markers of higher iron in the basal ganglia, a group of brain regions associated with control of motor movements, procedural learning, eye movement, cognition, emotion and more.
Iron accumulation in some brain regions was associated with worse cognitive function.
This is the largest study to date of moderate alcohol consumption and iron accumulation. Although drinking was self-reported and could be underestimated, this was considered the only feasible method to establish such a large cohort’s intake.
The team says given the prevalence of moderate drinking, even small associations can have a substantial impact across whole populations, and there could be benefits in interventions to reduce consumption in the general population.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how sleep affects human brain clearance, and vitamin B may prevent brain loss.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about iron in the brain linked to cognitive decline, and results showing smoking harms your brain health, regardless of other health conditions.
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