Alcohol & Alzheimer’s Disease

A great deal of brain research is conducted on rodents because their brains are very similar to the human brain.  Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and researchers are interested in better understanding the risk factors for AD.  In humans, amyloid plaques begin increasing some 10-20 years before AD symptoms occur.  New research explored the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and amyloid plaque development.

Researchers gave mice 10 weeks to consume either water or alcohol.  The examined how moderate alcohol consumption impacted brain health. 

The found that alcohol consumption increased brain atrophy, which is brain cell loss, and also increased the number of amyloid plaques, which are the proteins that are found in large numbers in patients with AD.  The study also showed that moderate alcohol consumption caused elevations in blood sugar and insulin resistance, which also increases the risk of AD, as well as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Takeaway: Moderate amounts of alcohol can increase the following risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease:

• accelerated loss of brain cells,

• elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance, and

• increased amyloid plaques, the toxic proteins found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix

Source

Stephen M. Day, et al., Ethanol Exposure Alters Alzheimer’s-Related Pathology, Behavior, and Metabolism in APP/PS1 Mice, Neurobiology of Disease, Feb 2023, Ethanol exposure alters Alzheimer's-related pathology, behavior, and metabolism in APP/PS1 mice - ScienceDirect.

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