Dementia is a general term for symptoms associated with progressive brain damage. Age is the leading risk factor for dementia, which does not bode well for the coming decades, when millions will enter old age. However, aging may be inevitable, but dementia is not. And there are proven ways to change your risk of brain decline.
A new study published today in the journal PLOS Medicine links moderate alcohol consumption – a popular pastime in the UK – with higher levels of iron in the brain, which in turn is associated with poorer thinking skills.
Iron accumulation in the brain is associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and is a potential mechanism for alcohol-related cognitive decline.
The new study links consumption of seven or more units of alcohol per week to higher levels of iron in the brain.
The study into the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and iron accumulation is the largest to date, with almost 21,000 people enrolled.
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Commenting on the findings, Dr Sarah Imarisio, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Our brains are incredibly complex, responsible for our memories as well as what we think, feel and do. By keeping our brain healthy as we age, we can help prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s that attack it physically, striking at the very core of who we are.
“Although there is no set safe level of alcohol consumption, the study of how smaller amounts of alcohol may contribute to poorer brain health is an active area of research. In this large study, researchers asked volunteers to self-report their alcohol intake while monitoring the levels of iron in the volunteers’ bodies, including their brains. This study points to increased iron as a potential mechanism for poorer brain health associated with alcohol consumption, but the study cannot say for sure that this link is causal.
“It is not clear how iron accumulation affects the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s Research UK is funding research at the University of Oxford to improve our understanding of how changes in iron levels track with other brain changes that occur in diseases such as Alzheimer’s .
“This study did not look at dementia or alcohol as a risk factor for the condition, but there are very good health reasons to watch how much alcohol you drink. In addition to drinking in moderation, staying physically, mentally and socially active, eating a healthy balanced diet, not smoking and keeping weight, cholesterol and blood pressure under control are good ways to keep the brain healthy as we age. the age.”
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