It’s no secret that alcohol is bad for you, but many continue to drink it anyway. In fact, substance abuse — including alcohol abuse — is skyrocketing in the United States. According to the CDC, alcohol kills six people every day. And according to a growing body of research, alcohol damages DNA, increases your risk for cancer and more — much more.
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Like smoking, eating processed foods and living a sedentary lifestyle, many people choose to ignore the health implications of drinking alcohol. But a new study is bringing to light exactly how detrimental it can be to your health.
In one of the largest studies ever conducted on brain aging and alcohol, researchers from the University of Southern California examined 17,308 human brain scans. They found that for every gram of alcohol consumed in a day, the brain aged seven-and-a-half days, or 0.02 years. Compared to those who didn’t drink daily, participants who reported drinking every day had brains that were 0.4 years older, on average.
Researchers say brain age is essentially a measure of brain health, so if you’re drinking daily or almost daily, it’s highly likely that you’re damaging your brain and accelerating the aging process. The study also showed that smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for a year can age your brain 11 days, or 0.03 years.
While it’s been known for quite some time that alcohol damages the brain and accelerates the aging process, the study helps put into perspective what you’re doing to your body, your brain and your life expectancy each time you indulge.
If you currently are a drinker, it is vital to consider how this impacts your overall health and increases your risk for several different health conditions. While natural protocols will not make you less susceptible to alcohol poisoning or other acute adverse events associated with binge drinking, there are ways to help minimize the damaging effects of alcohol. To learn more, click here.