We know that excessive alcohol use is damaging to the brain, but now experts in Great Britain and Australia have pinpointed three periods in life when alcohol is most damaging – from conception to birth, in later adolescence (15 to 19 years old), and in older adulthood (over 65 years old).
Globally, around 10% of pregnant women drink, with the rates of alcohol use higher in European countries. Heavy alcohol use can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, associated with reduction in brain volume and cognitive impairment. But newer evidence suggests that even low to moderate alcohol use during pregnancy can cause poorer psychological and behavioral outcomes in children.
In Europe and other high incomes countries, like the US, more than 20% of 15 to 19 year olds report at least occasional binge drinking. This drinking behavior is connected to reduced brain volume, poorer white matter development (critical for efficient brain functioning), and small to moderate deficits in numerous cognitive functions.
In older adults, alcohol disorders are the strongest modifiable risk factors for all types of dementia, particularly those of early-onset. Even moderate drinking in midlife causes a small but significant loss of brain volume. Today, we know that women are just as likely as men to drink alcohol and experience alcohol-related problems. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created an increase in alcohol use whose long term effect on public health is yet to be calculated.
