Alcohol causes our body to age quickly, and this is proven

Many people tend to have a few drinks every time they go out to a bar or restaurant, but what would happen if you were told that your drinks are shortening your life?

These are the results of a new study

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health

05/08/2022

Friday, 05 August 2022, 10:24

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Method for drinking wine from the bottle (mattdalrymple8)

Drinking too much alcohol actually causes the body to age.

What is too much?

Scientists from the University of Oxford believe that any amount above five glasses of wine per week speeds up the body's biological clock.

Experts examined data from almost 250,000 people and found that those who drank more than 17 units of alcohol per week had shorter telomeres.

Telomeres are biological caps found at the ends of chromosomes that protect their DNA from damage.

They naturally shorten as we age, leading to DNA damage and increasing the risk of developing problems such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and heart disease.

Research has also linked longer telomeres to a younger appearance.

Oxford scientists examined genetic and health data of 245,000 adults from the British Biobank.

Participants were divided by gender and their average age was 57, for the study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Most of them drank alcohol and only 3 percent claimed that they had never consumed alcohol.

Just one more drink?

GIF of pouring wine (Photo: Giphy)

Scientists looked for distinct genetic markers in the participants that had previously been associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol disorders.

Analyzing the data, the researchers found a clear link between high alcohol consumption and shorter telomere length.

For example, those who drank 29 units of alcohol per week, which is about 10 large glasses of wine, were one to two years older in terms of telomere length than those who drank less than six units per week, which is about two large glasses of wine.

Participants diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder, and therefore likely heavy drinkers, were found to have significantly shorter telomeres than the control group, equivalent to three to six years of biological aging.

However, the researchers found that the association between telomere shortening and alcohol consumption only started in people who drank more than 17 units per week, equivalent to just over five glasses of wine.

This suggests that those who drink this amount will not be at risk of drink-related telomere shortening.

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Reduction is also good

Lead editor Dr. Anya Topwala, a specialist in psychiatry, said the results suggest that alcohol consumption, especially at excessive levels, shortens telomeres. "Our results provide additional information for physicians and patients seeking to reduce the harmful effects of excess alcohol," she said. Furthermore, the amount of alcohol is important—even reducing drinking can have benefits."

It's not yet known exactly how drinking can shorten telomeres. But researchers suggest it may be related to increased oxidative stress and inflammation that can damage DNA as the body processes alcohol. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for many years has been associated with a plethora of health problems such as high blood pressure, risk of stroke and various types of cancer.

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• alcohol

• Biological clock

• aging