Your brain will change as you age, and sadly, there is no real way around it. Throughout the years your brain start to shrink, and along with this will also come some changes in cognition and memory.
While you can’t prevent this from happening, there are things you can do, such as exercising, eating healthy foods, and taking certain supplements They can help slow down this natural process.
If you are trying to choose Healthier foods for your memory.Things like fish, berries, and certain nuts can act as effective snacks to stimulate the brain.
But just as there are foods that are good for your brain, there are many foods and drinks that can also harm your cognitive health over time. And by far one of the worst drink for the brain and memory is alcohol.
How Alcohol Affects Memory Loss
If you’ve ever heard the term “blackout,” you probably know that there is a link between alcohol consumption and memory retention. But short-term memory loss from blackouts isn’t the only side effect of alcohol use on memory and brain health. Countless studies have linked higher than moderate levels of alcohol consumption with increased risk of dementia, poorer memory performance, and lower cognitive scores.
a recent one observational study published in 2021 found that there is no “safe” level of alcohol consumption when it comes to brain health. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that higher alcohol consumption was associated with poorer brain health, as evidenced by lower gray matter volumes with higher levels of alcohol consumption. Gray matter is responsible for information processing and the publication of new information.
“Brain volume decreases with age and more severely with dementia. Smaller brain volume also predicts poorer performance on memory tests,” explained in an email to lead author Anya Topiwala, lead clinical researcher at Oxford. . CNN.
The effects of alcohol on the brain as you age
As you age, the effects of alcohol on your brain can lower your performance on memory tests and put you at greater risk for brain-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
A JAMA Open Network A study of older adults without dementia found that consuming more than 14 drinks per week (or an average of 2 drinks per day) was associated with lower cognitive scores among participants aged 72 and over compared to those who drank less than one alcoholic drink per day. week.
Y a large body of research has identified a link between heavy drinkers with a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease or any other form of dementia compared to those who engage in moderate alcohol use.
Put off
You don’t have to abstain from alcohol entirely if you want to keep your memory functioning. The JAMA Open Network The study found that total abstinence from alcohol was also associated with lower cognitive performance in the same way as heavy alcohol consumption, and low alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of dementia.
The alzheimer’s societyHowever, he notes that “the link between alcohol and dementia in nondrinkers is not yet fully understood, and people who do not currently drink alcohol should not begin as a method of protection against the development of dementia.”
Current evidence indicates that adopting a healthy lifestyle, including drinking in moderation, is the best way to reduce memory loss and the risk of cognition-related diseases.
