One of the most comprehensive studies conducted on the long-term effects of heavy drinking suggests men’s brains are significantly susceptible to the toxicity of alcohol.
Although heavy drinking was linked to cognitive decline in aging men, it was not in aging women. The reasons behind that are still unclear, though UF experts offered possible explanations.
“Men do metabolize alcohol more quickly than women,” said Julia Varnes, GatorWell Health Promotion Services specialist.
While “heavy drinking” for men in the study was defined as more than 1.2 fluid ounces of pure alcohol a day, women had to drink at least 0.6 ounces a day to qualify.
Varnes said men break down liquor faster because they have more of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which is the workhorse of the metabolization process. Though women have less of the enzyme, they do not lose it over time. But men do.
“As men get older, they become intoxicated more easily,” Varnes said.
The study, which was published in Neurology this month, was carried out over the course of 10 years.
The research on both men’s and women’s brains was conducted separately, and the objective of the study was not to compare the results between both sexes but rather to determine if cognitive decline occurred in each sex and whether it could be linked to alcohol consumption.
“Cognitive decline” was defined as a decrease in the brain’s processing speed and efficiency as well as a deterioration in memory, according to the study. More than 5,000 men and more than 2,000 women participated.
Some have attributed studies on estrogen and memory preservation as possible reasons for why women’s brains seem less susceptible to the toxicity of alcohol, but Thomas Foster, UF neurology professor and McKnight Brain Institute chair for cognitive aging and memory research, said that’s a weak explanation.
“The mean age was 56,” Foster said. “While estrogen is both neurotrophic — acts like a growth hormone — and neuroprotective — shielding brain cells from toxins — these protective effects decline as estrogen declines with age.”
Foster also noted that the female participants who identified as heavy drinkers were more likely to have a higher occupational position, while this was not true in men.
“One way to keep cognition intact is to exercise cognitive functions,” Foster said. “Having occupations and recreations that engage cognitive processes are more likely to underlie the protection from heavy drinking.”
Akhil Kundhavaram, 21, UF anthropology senior, acknowledged the study but said it wouldn’t make an impact on his life.
“The way I see it, college is four years,” Kundhavaram said. “I’m not going to be drinking like this all my life.”
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 1/22/2014 under the headline "Study shows heavy drinking can be toxic to men’s brains"
