It is now known: when consumed in excess, alcohol is bad for your health. People who “drink too much” thus have an increased risk of cancer (breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, etc.), digestive diseases (hepatitis, gastritis, pancreatitis, etc.), cardiovascular diseases (arterial hypertension , stroke) or neurological diseases (cognitive disorders, etc.).
But according to a new study by the University of Oxford (in the United Kingdom), even “moderate” alcohol consumption could be harmful, especially for the brain.
An abnormally high level of iron in the brain
The British researchers thus studied medical data concerning 20,965 people, men and women aged 55 on average. They found that people who reported drinking more than 7 glasses of alcohol per week (beer, wine, hard liquor, etc.) had abnormally high levels of iron in their basal ganglia.
The basal ganglia (also called “basal ganglia” or “basal nuclei”) are structures found in the brain: they play (among other things) a role in controlling movements, in the management of emotions as well as in procedural memory.
However, previous studies have already established a link between excess iron in the basal ganglia and an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases – such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. In France, these pathologies affect nearly 1.2 million people. Conclusion ? For the aperitif, prefer “alcohol-free” as much as possible…
This work was published in the scientific journal PLOS Medicine.
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