What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health

The Effects of Alcohol on Gray and White Matter in the Brain

Key takeaways:

• Gray matter consists of cell bodies and white matter consists of connections and fibers of neurons.
• White matter is surrounded by a fatty tissue called myelin, which facilitates quick communication between nerve cells.
• A study examined the brains of over 30,000 generally healthy adults who consumed varying amounts of alcohol.
• Even low to moderate alcohol consumption (1-2 drinks per day) was associated with thinning of the neocortex and other brain regions.
• These findings are significant and provide important data on the effects of alcohol on the brain.

The Effects of Alcohol on Your Body

Key takeaways:

• Alcohol kills both bacteria in the gut
• Consuming alcohol leads to feeling lousy and less happy
• Alcohol can pass into all cells and tissues in the body
• Ethanol, the type of alcohol fit for human consumption, is still toxic to the body
• Ingested ethanol must be converted into another substance due to its toxicity
• NAD, a molecule present in all cells, may have a role in longevity

Alcohol's effect on cortisol release and stress levels

Key takeaways:

• Changes in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis result in increased cortisol release in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol.
• Moderate alcohol consumption can lead to increased stress and anxiety when not drinking.
• The long-term effects of alcohol, such as increased cortisol release, are often overlooked.

The effects of alcohol on the brain and body

Key takeaways:

• Alcohol can adversely affect the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis.
• Alcohol changes brain circuitry and neurochemistry while intoxicated.
• These changes can persist even after the feeling of being drunk.
• Chronic alcohol consumption leads to recognized changes in neural circuits and neurochemistry.
• Alcohol impacts the brain to body stress system in multiple ways.

Transcript: Speaker 1 Part of that effect we think is because of changes in this hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. So alcohol is kind of a double hit in this sense. It's causing changes in our brain circuitry and neurochemistry that at the time in which we're inebriated are detrimental and it's causing changes in neural circuitry that persist long past the time in which we're experiencing the feeling of being tipsy or drunk. Now, again, I don't want to demonize alcohol. I'm not saying, oh, you know, if you have a glass of wine now and again or you drink a beer now and again or even have, you know, a mixed drink now and again or a shot that that's necessarily terrible for you. I certainly do not want that to be the message. What I'm saying is that if people are ingesting alcohol chronically, even if it's not every night, there are well recognized changes in neural circuits. They're well recognized changes in neurochemistry within the brain and they're well recognized changes in the brain to body stress system that generally point in three directions.

Neurochemical and Neural Circuitry Changes Caused by Alcohol

Key takeaways:

• There are well recognized changes in neurochemistry within the brain and changes in the brain to body stress system.
• These changes result in increased stress and diminished mood and feelings of well-being when people are not drinking.
• Changes in neural circuitry cause people to want to drink more to return to their baseline state of stress modulation and mood.
• Long-term drinking patterns can lead to plastic changes in neural and hormone circuitry over several months or years.

The Terrible Effects of Alcohol and Its Enjoyment

Key takeaways:

• Some people enjoy the taste of alcohol and drinking in moderation is not likely to cause major health issues.
• There is zero evidence that drinking in moderation (one or two drinks every three or four weeks) will lead to major health concerns.
• Individuals with zero or low alcohol dehydrogenates may feel sick when drinking alcohol.

Reducing inflammation and improving gut health through fermented foods

Key takeaways:

• The total array of genes and proteins that control inflammation is referred to as the inflammatory.
• Two to four servings of fermented foods per day, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, natto, kefir, and yogurt (low sugar varieties), can reduce inflammatory markers and improve the gut microbiome.
• Consuming fermented foods may help mitigate the effects of alcohol and repair the gut microbiome.

The Effects of Alcohol on Gene Expression and Cancer Growth

Key takeaways:

• The more alcohol people drink, the greater their increase of cancer in particular breast cancer.
• Alcohol has effects on cells that include changes in gene expression and cancer growth.
• Tumors are a dysregulation in cell cycles, characterized by proliferation and aggregation of cells.
• Alcohol can induce a wide range of mutations that contribute to cancer development.
• The PD-1 pathway is upregulated in relation to alcohol-induced cancer.

Episode AI notes

1. Even low to moderate alcohol consumption can result in thinning of the neocortex and other brain regions, indicating the harmful effects of alcohol on the brain.

2. Alcohol easily passes into cells and organs, causing damage and stress on cells. Ethanol, the type of alcohol fit for human consumption, is still toxic to the body.

3. Regular moderate drinking can lead to increased cortisol release and higher stress and anxiety levels when not drinking.

4. Alcohol causes changes in neurochemistry and neural circuitry, resulting in increased stress, diminished mood, and cravings for more alcohol.

5. Occasional drinking in moderation is generally safe, but individuals with low alcohol dehydrogenates may experience sickness.

6. Consuming fermented foods can reduce inflammation, improve the gut microbiome, and help repair the effects of alcohol on the body.

7. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer, by affecting gene expression and cell cycles.