The safe consumption of alcohol is 0! This is a type 1 carcinogen and causes the brain to age 12 years

 Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer, is a direct cause of more than 30 diseases and indirectly causes at least 200 diseases. So when alcohol's risks to overall health are taken into account, the protective effects of alcohol are easily negated.

Health can be compromised regardless of how much alcohol is consumed and regardless of age. It can be said that the safe consumption of alcohol is 0.

According to Vietnam Plus, Vietnam is the country with the fastest growing alcohol consumption in the world, with per capita consumption ranking second in Southeast Asia and third in Asia, after Laos and Mongolia. According to recent statistics, there are more than 40,800 deaths each year related to alcohol. Besides, alcohol is also the biggest cause of about 30% of disruptive cases and 33.7% of domestic violence cases. The actual number could be much higher.

If these numbers aren't enough to change your attitude to alcohol, let's take a look at how they damage your brain and body.

Alcohol shrinks the brain, making the brain age 12 years old

Decades ago, scientists found a link between drinking and brain shrinkage. 

Brain gray matter volume decreases in alcoholics, the extent of which is related to duration of alcoholism. The white matter in the brain where nerve bundles and signal pathways are concentrated also shrink and change microstructure. Most notably, it disrupts myelination and axonal integrity. 

One good sign is that when weaning off alcohol, brain volume can partially recover. Research shows that heavy drinkers (155 drinks per month) can increase brain volume if they reduce their average drinking by 20 drinks.

Alcohol also ages the brain, alcoholics have older brains than people of the same age. Imaging studies have long found that the loss of gray matter volume as well as white matter microstructural disturbances commonly seen in alcoholics worsens with age. Brain age modeling showed that alcoholic subjects increased by 11.7 years. Although no brain aging was detected in young alcoholics (20-30 years old), it increased rapidly over the next decades depending on the level of alcohol consumption and health status, age. .

The BMJ study also noted that people who consumed alcoholic beverages on a weekly basis experienced faster cognitive decline than non-drinkers. Even people who drink very little experience cognitive decline.

Low levels of alcohol consumption (1-7 drinks per week) were previously considered harmless or even beneficial for heart health. But recent large-scale brain MRI studies show that alcohol consumption is negatively linearly associated with widespread reductions in gray and white matter volume, as well as white matter microstructure and thickness. cortical. It should be emphasized that low alcohol intake (1-7 drinks/week) has no protective effect compared with no alcohol intake, meaning that any level of alcohol consumption can affect brain volume and white matter microstructure.

How does alcohol damage nerves?

1. Vitamin B1 Deficiency

Thiamin, also known as Vitamin B1, is an essential element for nerve function. The human body is not able to produce thiamine on its own and must be obtained through the diet. Thiamine deficiency is mainly caused by malnutrition and is associated with alcoholism. Over time, a thiamine deficiency can lead to nerve damage and lead to alcoholic neuropathy.

Alcoholics often have low, even poor nutrition. Besides, alcoholics need higher thiamin supplements than usual. In addition, alcohol also interferes with the ability of cells to use thiamin, increases the rate of thiamin metabolism, and reduces the magnesium required for thiamin phosphorylation. Alcohol damages the intestinal lining and reduces the absorption of thiamin in the intestine. Diarrhea or vomiting caused by alcohol also causes thiamine absorption to be further depleted. 

It can be said that alcohol has a comprehensive effect on the absorption and utilization of thiamin, leading to exhaustion and chronic thiamin deficiency. That's like dominoes that cause a series of chain reactions that lead to cytotoxicity, and ultimately, cell death. The brain is the most energy-using organ of the body, lack of thiamin will lead to brain dysfunction and degeneration.

The most serious outcome of the neurotoxicity associated with alcoholic thiamine deficiency is the development of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS). It is an acute reversible condition characterized by confusion, dyskinesia, and ataxia, along with psychosis. It can develop into irreversible brain damage that causes behavioral disturbances and memory impairment.

2. Generates the neurotoxin acetaldehyde

Alcohol is converted in the liver to acetaldehyde. It is toxic to the body, initiates alcoholic cardiomyopathy, develops cancer, and affects motor nerves.

During intoxication, the production of acetaldehyde can cause flushing, increased heart rate, dry mouth, nausea, and headache. Notably, acetaldehyde contributes to the toxic effects of chronic alcohol on the brain leading to neuronal degeneration. Acetaldehyde is cytotoxic by inducing DNA mutations, and protein supplements can induce immune responses that further damage tissue.

3. Causes neuritis

Alcohol stimulates inflammation of the stomach and intestines, making it easier for toxins and alcohol to reach the liver. Alcohol metabolism and bacterial proliferation cause the liver to produce inflammatory factors. These cytokines can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation in the brain.

Several animal models have shown that alcohol via different pathways of action leads to both peripheral and central neuritis.

4. Change in brain function

In addition to structural changes, evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to alcohol can lead to dysregulation of the systems that control behavior, impulse control, and disruption of emotional regulation.

Impulsivity is a lack of inhibitory control, characterized by reckless behavior in the absence of prior directives. At the behavioral level, drunkenness increases behaviors such as risky driving, crime and promiscuous sex, and impulsivity is often increased in alcoholics.

Alcohol converts to carcinogens and increases the risk of other cancers

Only 10% of alcohol is eliminated through the respiratory tract and sweat, the remaining 90% is processed by the liver.

In the liver, alcohol is broken down to acetaldehyde which is then converted to acetic by another enzyme, and finally hydrolyzed to water and CO2. In an hour, the liver can only process about 350ml of beer, 150ml of wine or 45ml of alcohol. When blood alcohol levels exceed 0.4% is extremely dangerous, can lead to serious complications, coma or death.

Acetaldehyde is not only a neurotoxin but also a carcinogen. It damages cell membranes, damages DNA, prevents DNA synthesis and repair, thereby causing cancer. In addition, both alcohol (ethanol) and acetaldehyde disrupt DNA methylation, allowing oncogenes to function.

More than 740,000 new cancer cases in 2020 worldwide are attributable to alcohol use, of which more than 100,000 are due to light and moderate alcohol consumption.

The highest rates of alcoholic cancers are of the esophagus, liver, and breast. In addition, colorectal cancer, oral cavity cancer, oropharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer are also possible.

Australian researchers conducted a systematic review of more than 100 reports and concluded that drinking too much alcohol can damage all parts of the digestive tract. In addition, drinking alcohol increases sex hormone levels, which in turn causes breast cancer.

The safe intake of alcohol is 0, so don't drink even a single drop. Alcohol should not be forced or used as a measure of bravery, because what we trade for is much more terrifying.