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Published on: June 23, 2023
Alcohol consumption in the general population is associated with structural changes in multiple organ systems
Evangelos Evangelou1,2, Hideaki Suzuki3,4,5, Wenjia Bai5,6
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Even moderate alcohol consumption harms the brain, heart, and liver. This study suggests there is no safe alcohol threshold, challenging current public health guidelines.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cardiology
- Hepatology
- Public Health
Background:
- Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to organ damage.
- Multi-organ effects of typical alcohol drinking levels are not well-characterized in large populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of alcohol consumption on brain, heart, aorta, and liver.
- To quantify the effects across a range of alcohol intakes in a general population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized UK Biobank data from participants who reported alcohol consumption.
- Employed quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI) to measure organ phenotypes.
- Assessed global effect sizes of alcohol intake on various biomarkers.
Main Results:
- Higher alcohol consumption showed a monotonic association with lower normalized brain volume.
- Alcohol intake was directly linked to increased left ventricular mass index and cardiac volumes.
- Liver fat content increased with higher alcohol consumption.
Conclusions:
- Results indicate no 'safe threshold' for alcohol consumption, as toxic effects exist even at lower levels.
- Current public health guidelines on alcohol intake may require reevaluation based on these findings.
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