Consuming 7 units of alcohol per week is considered moderate drinking and yet it is already associated with increased iron levels in the brain, this study concludes from data from 21,000 participants.
Iron accumulation in the brain, already linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases
The study: University of Oxford researcher Anya Topiwala’s team explored the relationships between alcohol consumption and brain iron levels in 20,965 UK Biobank participants, with an average age of 55 and 48, 6% of women. The participants provided information on their level of alcohol consumption and underwent a brain MRI. 7,000 also had an MRI of the liver to assess systemic iron levels. All passed cognitive and motor tests. 2.7% declared themselves to be non-drinkers and, on average, the average consumption of alcohol per week was estimated at 18 units per week. The analysis reveals that:
-
alcohol consumption >7 units per week is associated with higher basal ganglia iron levels,
a group of brain regions associated with motor control, procedural learning, eye movements, cognition, emotions, etc.
- Iron accumulation in certain regions of the brain was associated with poorer cognitive function.
Iron accumulation, a possible mechanism of alcohol-related cognitive decline: if one of the limitations of the study is the possible bias between the MRI measurement and the actual level of cerebral iron in the brain, this work indeed suggests a completely new explanatory mechanism for the harmful effect of consumption of alcohol, on the brain and cognition.
“High levels of brain iron are linked to poorer cognitive performance. Iron accumulation may therefore underlie alcohol-related cognitive decline.”