CNN
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Drinking is associated with the increase in the risk of brain damage related to memory and thinking problems. This is a new study where researchers define severe drinking with more than eight alcoholic beverages per week.
This study, published in the Journal of Neurology, occurs when clinical and public health advisors raise awareness of alcohol disorders and problems related to excessive alcohol consumption.
Given the main takeout of this report, CNN Wellness Expert Dr. to help people think about drinking habits. I talked to Leana Wen. Alcohol affects the brain, but how many alcohols are there? How can people recognize the signs of drinking by themselves and loved ones? Should I be completely abstained, or is there a way to have a healthy relationship with alcohol?
Wen is an emergency doctor and associate professor of George Washington University. She was a former health member of Baltimore.
CNN: What does this new study show about the possibility of damage to alcohol and brain?
Wen’s childhood: This study included more than 1,700 post -analysis at the time of death. Scientists examined brain tissue and found signs of brain damage, including lesions called hyaline atherosclerosis related to memory and cognitive problems and tau tangles related to Alzheimer’s disease.
Separately, the researchers asked the family members about the participants’ alcohol consumption. Participants were divided into four groups. Those who drank less than 7 drinks every week; People who drank more than eight drinks every week are defined as drinking a lot. And the former heavy drinkers who stopped drinking.
Heavy drinkers were 133% more likely to have hyaline. Compared to non -linkers, arteriosclerosis is a description of other factors that can affect brain health, such as smoking. Previously heavy drinkers had a 89% chance of developing this lesion, while intermediate drinkers had a 60% higher chance.
Heavy drinkers were also likely to be tangled. In addition, these participants were more likely to die than those who did not drink on average 13 years ago.
I think these are powerful results that have a heavy alcohol consumption on the brain. In particular, heavy drinkers say that they have constant evidence, but severe drinking seems to lower the risk.
There is a warning in this study. It is important to point out that this discovery is implicitly related rather than evidence of the cause and the outcome. One limit of this study is that it did not distinguish between people who did not measure alcohol consumption or who had regularly consumed one or two glasses at night.
CNN: What is already known about how alcohol can affect the brain?
wen: In the short term, use of alcohol can interfere. Communication of the brain It is more difficult to control the brain, adjustment, balance, language and judgment. In a short time, a large amount of alcohol can lead to serious damage to the main region of controlling breathing and heart rate.
People with alcohol disorders can have Progressive brain change It affects thinking and perception. For example, known conditions Wernicke-korsakoff syndrome This is associated with serious use of alcohol and can be permanently disabled with long -term memory loss. Less amounts of alcohol are associated with early aging and contraction of the brain.
Given the numerous studies that show the effect of use of alcohol on the brain, the results of this new study are not surprising.
CNN: How many alcohol is considered too much?
wen: According to the United States, adults of legal drinking age should not drink at least one drink a day for women. This guideline for Americans.
But this guideline is controversial. Earlier this year, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy at the time announced the instructions that alcohol consumption could be related to the increase of cancer in the guidelines.
According to this new study, some people who are following the guidelines can be considered heavy drinkers. One man can spend two drinks a day for five days a week and exceed 8 drinks a week, which is associated with signs of brain damage.
Another way to assess excessive alcohol consumption is whether there is a binge eating. It is a binge defined According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Center, one at least four drinks for women and five or more drinks for men, once with five or more drinks for men. People who are binge eating are risk of injuries such as car accidents and falls. Moreover, a large amount of alcohol, in which their bodies expose, is thought to cause more stress in the organs than the metabolism over time.
CNN: Do you drink a lot of poisoning? How can people recognize the signs of drinking by themselves or loved ones?
wen: There are two separate problems. One is alcohol that exceeds the recommended amount at once, if it is more than a week through binge eating. Excessive drinking types can cause long -term problems, including the effects of the brain, heart and liver.
Another problem is the physiological dependence caused by alcohol and problems caused by alcohol disorders. The moon of alcohol recognition is when the most common material disabled in the United States raises awareness of disability. Almost 29 million Americans over 12 years of age meet the diagnostic criteria. It meets the diagnostic criteria. It meets the diagnostic criteria. It meets the diagnostic criteria. This includes the loss of control of drinking amount, difficulty in satisfying work, and physical symptoms when stopping drinking such as nursing responsibilities, nausea and sweat.
People can take different things Self -question Select the problem drinking. They can also find signs of alcohol disorders of loved ones. What everyone knows is important There is an effective treatment Alcohol disorder. No one needs to suffer alone.
CNN: Do you have to be fully abstained or have a healthy relationship with alcohol?
wen: This is a hot controversy among clinical and public health experts. Consensus is usually less better. Medical experts will not start drinking for those who do not drink. Also, the agreement that excessive drinking is a problem is clear. Binge drinking is related to many risks, just like the use of alcohol.
When defining heavy alcohol use, it is not completely clear to draw a line. Increasingly more and more research, including this study, began to show that even alcohol use can be associated with negative results in the current recommended guidelines.
At the same time, I think people can have a healthy relationship with alcohol. One way to assess the relationship with alcohol is about drinking problems such as January and SOBER October. This experience can help people drink how much alcohol drinks, feel when they are abstained, and when and why and why.
For example, do they drink to cover negative emotions? Do they feel ashamed or lose control depending on how much they drink? These are warning signals that people should seek the help of mental health experts or primary care providers. Early drinking individuals should be careful not to stop suddenly because the impact of sudden withdrawal can be dangerous. Those who reduce and sleep must care for the medical providers.
