There may be something missing on St. Patrick's Day from a new wave of bars opening around the U.S.: Alcohol.
There is no such thing as a "safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study.
In an observational study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers from the University of Oxford studied the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans.
The researchers noted that drinking had an effect on the brain's gray matter — regions in the brain that make up "important bits where information is processed," according to lead author Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at Oxford.
"The more people drank, the less the volume of their gray matter," Topiwala said via email.
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"Brain volume reduces with age and more severely with dementia. Smaller brain volume also predicts worse performance on memory testing," she explained.
"Whilst alcohol only made a small contribution to this (0.8%), it was a greater contribution than other 'modifiable' risk factors," she said, explaining that modifiable risk factors are "ones you can do something about, in contrast to aging."
Type of alcohol doesn't matter
The team also investigated whether certain drinking patterns, beverage types and other health conditions made a difference to the impact of alcohol on brain health.
They found that there was no "safe" level of drinking — meaning that consuming any amount of alcohol was worse than not drinking it. They also found no evidence that the type of drink — such as wine, spirits or beer — affected the harm done to the brain.
However, certain characteristics, such as high blood pressure, obesity or binge-drinking, could put people at higher risk, researchers added.
"So many people drink 'moderately,' and think this is either harmless or even protective," Topiwala told CNN via email.
"As we have yet to find a 'cure' for neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, knowing about factors that can prevent brain harm is important for public health," she added.
There is no such thing as a "safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study.
No safe limit
The risks of alcohol have long been known: Previous studies have found that there's no amount of liquor, wine or beer that is safe for your overall health.
Alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, accounting for nearly one in 10 deaths, according to a study published in The Lancet in 2018.
"While we can't yet say for sure whether there is 'no safe level' of alcohol regarding brain health at the moment, it has been known for decades that heavy drinking is bad for brain health," Sadie Boniface, head of research at the UK's Institute of Alcohol Studies, told CNN via email.
"We also shouldn't forget alcohol affects all parts of the body and there are multiple health risks," said Boniface, who was not associated with the University of Oxford study.
Tony Rao, a visiting clinical fellow in Old Age Psychiatry at King's College London, told CNN that given the large sample size, it was unlikely the study's findings could have arisen by chance.
Rao said the study replicates previous research that has shown there is no safe limit in the level of alcohol consumption for its role in damage to the structure and function of the human brain.
"Previous research has found that subtle changes which demonstrate damage to the brain can present in ways that are not immediately detectable on routine testing of intellectual function and can progress unchecked until they present with more noticeable changes in memory," he said.
"Even at levels of low-risk drinking," he said, "there is evidence that alcohol consumption plays a larger role in damage to the brain than previously thought. The (Oxford) study found that this role was greater than many other modifiable risk factors, such as smoking."
"The interaction with high blood pressure and obesity on increasing the damage done by alcohol to the brain emphasizes the wider role of diet and lifestyle in maintaining brain health," he added.
How the coronavirus pandemic has affected alcohol use in adults
How the coronavirus has affected alcohol use in adults
When the severity of the pandemic began to sink in during the spring of 2020, people worldwide found themselves forced to adapt to a new normal. For many, that has involved a little more drinking of alcohol than usual. Whether people were coping with new stresses or just plain bored, the past year has seen a notable uptick in alcohol use in adults.
Liquor stores were deemed essential businesses, bars offered to-go cocktails, and people in general found themselves at a loss for things to do at home. While some people perfected their sourdough recipes, others perfected their Manhattans and Negronis. And as takeout orders were vital for keeping restaurants in business, so were the growler fill-ups from favorite breweries.
American Addiction Centers compiled 10 statistics about how the coronavirus affected alcohol use in adults, including alcohol consumption, sales, state regulations, reasons behind increased consumption, and effects of alcohol misuse. Data comes from federal health agencies such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and scientific journals such the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Wiley Online Library.
If it feels as though you’ve been hitting the bottle a little more than usual, you’re not alone. Here’s a rundown of how widespread the boost in booze has been, and some tips for how to avoid it if you’re looking to cut back.
Adult alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic
Researchers from the Rand Corporation and the Indiana University School of Public Health examined survey data from 1,540 adults. They compared alcohol use between April 29–June 9, 2019, and May 28–June 16, 2020, and found that overall alcohol consumption in adults increased by 14%. For adults 30–59, the uptick was as high as 19%.
Online alcohol sales more than doubled at the beginning of the pandemic
The biggest boost to at-home alcohol sales occurred at the outset of the pandemic, as people stocked up to shelter-in-place for an unknown length of time. For the seven-week period ending April 18, 2020, NielsenIQ reported that alcohol sales in stores were up 21%, while online alcohol sales were up 234% from the previous year.
Alcohol use can impair the body’s ability to prevent and fight COVID-19
Although disinfectants containing certain percentages of ethyl alcohol can knock out the coronavirus on hands or surfaces, drinking alcoholic beverages has a different effect. Alcohol use can impair the immune system, and having alcohol in the system when exposed to a virus can make it easier to get sick. Long-term alcohol use can hurt immune cells in the lungs, leading to conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, which can dramatically increase the likelihood of severe or lethal COVID-19 after infection.
Liquor stores deemed essential businesses in 37 states and Washington D.C.
Part of the reason for alcohol’s popularity during the pandemic is that it has been easy to get. Almost three-quarters of U.S. states kept liquor stores open as essential businesses. Only two states—Nebraska and Nevada—explicitly deemed liquor stores not essential.
To-go alcohol allowed from bars and restaurants in 44 states and Washington D.C.
Liquor stores haven’t been the only place to find a drink. Even more states have been allowing bars and restaurants to offer some sort of to-go beverages. In 37 states, establishments can deliver the drinks to customers’ homes.
Bars reopened in 35 states and Washington D.C.
Even though most states closed bars at the outset of the pandemic, they didn’t stay closed for long. By June 2020, 35 states and Washington D.C., allowed all bars to reopen. Only six states—Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Connecticut—kept bars completely closed at that time.
Increased binge drinking reported during early months of the pandemic
Drinking behavior itself changed as well during the pandemic. Survey data from Research Triangle Institute International found a 26% increase in binge drinking from February to April 2020 in the United States. The largest increases were in the Western area of the country.
Certain increased stressors contributed to relying on alcohol during the coronavirus
The reasons for increased alcohol use vary widely. Women in particular have been bearing the brunt, increasing their frequency of heavy drinking by 41%, according to a survey of the RAND Corporation American Life Panel. Another study published in the Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research journal surveyed 320 Canadian adults and found evidence that people were drinking to cope, especially those with a child at home, exhibiting greater depression or experiencing more social isolation. Income loss was also associated with increased alcohol use.
People recovering from alcohol or substance abuse faced unique challenges
Millions of Americans were already suffering from a substance use disorder before the pandemic began, and the coronavirus-related shutdowns made treatment harder to access. The Addiction Policy Forum surveyed 1,079 people with substance use disorders in April–May 2020, and found that 34% had experienced disruptions to treatments or support, and 14% were prevented from accessing needed treatments altogether.
Keep the mind active to steer clear of alcohol during the pandemic
The best way to avoid overdoing the alcohol is to distract yourself—but watching Netflix won’t cut it. Passive stress relievers, like binge watching shows, don’t have the same effect as more physical, productive activities. Instead, Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and addiction researcher Victor Karpyak recommends doing something that truly engages your mind, like exercising, talking with friends or family, or practicing creative hobbies such as music or crafting.