There is an age at which we should stop drinking alcohol forever. Neuroscience is clear why

For years, popular culture and certain observational studies have sold us a comfortable idea: moderate alcohol consumption could be harmless and even beneficial for the heart. However, when we focus on the brainthe story changes radically.

It is neurotoxic. A growing stream of neurologists and new epidemiological evidence point to an uncomfortable reality: alcohol is a neurotoxinand there is a biological age from which our brain loses the ability to tolerate it. Although official guidelines do not prohibit retirees from drinking, scientific literature suggests that The ages of 65-70 mark a critical boundary. Crossing it with a drink in hand could be accelerating cognitive decline and dementiawhich are very prevalent diseases at that time of life.

Although there are exceptions, with people who are very long-lived and point out that their ‘secret’ is having a glass of alcohol daily. Although genetics may play an important role here.

The neuronal reserve. Neurologist Richard Restak popularized a strong clinical recommendation: you should stop drinking completely at 70 years old. Is it an arbitrary number? Not at all. It is based on the concept of “neural reserve”.

According to science, a young brain has room for maneuver before the arrival of these toxins. It has enough neurons and plasticity to compensate for the slight damage caused by ethanol, but, however, natural aging leads to a loss of neurons. That is why drinking in old age is, basically, burning fuel from a tank that is already in reserve and that is not going to be refilled.

It is accelerating. Science in this case is quite clear that alcohol-related brain damage along with intense and prolonged consumption accelerates brain aging. And the fact is that with the same alcohol consumption, an aged brain has greater damage than a young one.

Something that is explained because the neuronal repair mechanisms are also aged and do not have the same capacity as when a person is 20 years old to compensate.

The data. The biggest blow to the idea that a little drinking “doesn’t hurt” comes from large cohort studies, such as the famous Whitehall II studiowhich followed thousands of people for 23 years. In this case, it was seen that people who drank between 14 and 21 glasses of alcohol per week were three times more likely to suffer from hippocampal atrophy compared to those who did not drink. And this is the fundamental region to have memory.

For those who exceeded 30 units per week, the probability of atrophy shot up to almost six times more. But the most worrying thing is that no protective benefit was observed in the light consumption group (less than seven drinks a week) compared to general abstinence.

Zero alcohol. These data along with brain imaging studies They point out that even ‘moderate’ consumption is associated with a significant brain alteration. This means that it can be stated that the safety margin for the brain is practically non-existent.

The limit age. Why can 65 be a turning point? Although there is no international “dry law” for people over 70, organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Society from the UK warn that those over 65 are a special risk group.

This is because there is already an aging liver that processes alcohol slowly, which means that the alcohol circulates through the body for longer. This is also added to the interactions that alcohol has with medications that can increase its toxicity and most importantly: increases the risk of dementia.

You have to be careful. With all this data, science is quite clear that any consumption increases the risk of health problems, especially in regards to the brain.

Although clinical guidelines still recommend simply “not exceeding 14 units per week,” the recommendation of experts like Restak and reading the most current evidence suggest a more aggressive prevention strategy. Given that we have no cure for dementia and that neuronal reserve is our only shield, giving up alcohol when entering old age is not an option, it is a logical cognitive survival strategy.

Images | CHUTTERSNAP Simon Godfrey

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