In San Diego County, 1 in 5 adults report heavy drinking, putting the region among the worst in California for alcohol use. A new study from Scripps Research suggests this trend may have severe consequences for brain health.
Dr. Pietro Sanna, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research and senior author of the study said the findings reveal that excessive alcohol use may accelerate the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
"We analyze the brains of humans with Alzheimer's disease and another group of humans with histories of alcohol use disorder … and we can see over and over that alcohol accelerates Alzheimer’s," Sanna said.
He said both excess alcohol use and Alzheimer's disease are linked to inflammation. That may help explain how heavy drinking can accelerate the early onset and progression of the disease.
Sanna said while more research is needed, these findings open the door for potential treatments targeting the pathways involved in both alcohol use disorder and Alzheimer’s.
The research is promising, said Heather Snyder, who oversees medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer’s Association, and was not involved in the study.
She said this study took advantage of emerging technology that allows researchers to look at individual cells in the brain.
"I think that's an exciting avenue of research that may then really expand the potential utility of different interventions or different therapies as they develop," she said.
The study’s findings aren’t surprising to Kristen Romea, who directs supportive services at Alzheimer’s San Diego.
"It just further reinforces the things that we're already teaching about diet and exercise. We also educate families on how substances like alcohol impact people differently as they age," Romea said.
Romea said some risk factors like age and genetics can’t be changed, but limiting alcohol use is a controllable factor that could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
