"Even regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol causes premature aging of the brain. According to him, this process occurs secretly and the person does not notice it for a long time. But the result is quite severe."
Demokrat.az reports that this was said by Russian narcologist Andrey Tyurin. He stated that continuous use of alcoholic beverages accelerates the age-related brain atrophy process two to three times. This means that the brain of a 40-year-old person can appear like that of a 60-year-old in an MRI examination.
Tyurin emphasized that ethanol is considered a direct neurotoxin. Over time, it destroys nerve cells. Especially the hippocampus, responsible for memory and regulation of emotions, suffers the most damage.
According to him, alcohol also damages the white matter in the brain. This weakens the transmission of signals. As a result, reactions slow down, coordination is impaired, and managing several tasks simultaneously becomes difficult. These problems can manifest not only in a state of intoxication but also when sober.
The narcologist added that in people who consume even one glass of wine or one bottle of beer daily, the integrity of the white matter decreases by 15-20 percent over 5-6 years. This is considered a path leading to vascular dementia.
The doctor also pointed out that alcohol accelerates the shortening of telomeres. This indicator is considered one of the main markers of biological age. Parallelly, the destruction of young neurons accelerates, resulting in weakened learning ability, difficulty adapting to changes, and unprovoked mood changes.
Tyurin had previously stated that daily habits could lead to alcohol addiction. He especially evaluated attempts to reduce stress with alcoholic beverages as risky behavior.